More than 100,000 Washington residents added to state Medicaid program

More than 100,000 Washington residents have enrolled in Medicaid since the pandemic began, according to the Health Care Authority.

That means nearly 1.9 million Washingtonians are receiving insurance benefits from the state’s Medicaid program, called Apple Health.

The Health Care Authority is encouraging residents who lost their health coverage because of job loss or lost wages to apply for the state’s health insurance program.

Washington state’s uninsured rate doubled due to the pandemic, but that trend appears to be on the decline now, likely due to an increase in Medicaid enrollment.

The Office of Financial Management estimates that while the percentage of Washington residents who were uninsured spiked in May, that number is now decreasing. The office currently estimates 8.7% of Washingtonians do not have health insurance. This number is still higher than the 6.7% before the pandemic began.