Seattle community health clinics prepare, seek answers after Medicaid data release

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Before the creation of Apple Health Expansion, medical providers often had patients who appeared to be undocumented, said Justin Gill, president of the Washington Stte Nurses Association and an urgent care nurse practitioner in Everett. Many opted not to receive care because they couldn’t afford it, or they feared immigration consequences, he said.

The launch of Apple Health Expansion was a major step toward getting vital health services to more noncitizens, Gill said. The program hit its enrollment cap in the first year, registering about 13,000 people, according to HCA.

Gill recalled one patient last year, a mother with an infection and who was likely undocumented. Her medical team recommended she go to the emergency department, but she was worried about the cost because she didn’t have health insurance, and feared her information being collected.

With the help of an interpreter, Gill walked her through the program online in Spanish. He assured her enrolling would not affect her immigration status.

The Everett nurse practitioner now fears that in steering patients toward the program, he might have put them or their families at risk.

“It makes me question as a health care provider, ‘Did I do the right thing for them? Did I potentially harm them and their loved ones?’” Gill said.