Ferguson warns ‘cruel’ Medicaid cuts would rip health care from 200K WA residents
Gov. Bob Ferguson on May 22 warned that the U.S. Congress’ proposed Medicaid cuts would jeopardize health-care access for nearly 2 million Washington residents.
Medicaid is the nation’s health-care program for those with lower income and some people with disabilities. In Washington state, “Apple Health” refers to the state’s Medicaid program, which provides free or low-cost health insurance to eligible residents.
Ferguson held a news conference at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on May 22 after the U.S. House green-lit the “Big, Beautiful Bill” pushed by Republican lawmakers.
The tax-and-spending package passed by a 215-214 vote and has been sent to the Senate. The congressional process will likely extend through the summer, and then President Donald Trump, who supports the House version, would need to sign the legislation into law.
Democrats have decried the bill as threatening reproductive rights and thwarting progress on climate change — as well as jeopardizing those served by Medicaid.
“In the middle of the night last night, Congress took an action that can only be described as cruel, and one that will harm many thousands of Washingtonians, if supported by the United States Senate — all to provide tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans,” Ferguson said.
The bill the House passed would reduce Medicaid funding by $700 billion over a decade, according to CNN. States would then be faced with difficult decisions: Keep current Medicaid spending via state tax increases or slash dollars from other programs, for example.
In Washington, Ferguson said, the proposal would translate to the loss of roughly $2 billion in federal funding over the coming four years.
Washington state spends some $21 billion on Medicaid, roughly $13 billion of which comes from the federal government, Ferguson said. Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program, covers some 2 million people, he said — 800,000 of whom are kids.
More than 45% of the state’s births are covered by the program, as well as 3 out of every 5 nursing home residents, Ferguson said.
“Medicaid touches health care in every stage of life for Washingtonians, in every corner of our state,” he said.
Ferguson said his office estimates that if the cuts are allowed to go through, then at least 200,000 Washingtonians would lose their health-care coverage by the end of 2026.
Such a move also would force closure of hospitals and nursing homes in Washington, the governor said: “It’s dire.”
“Right now, it is a four-alarm fire,” Ferguson said. “It is all hands on deck.”
Jen Chong Jewell, whose child with disabilities depends on Medicaid, spoke on May 22 about her experience.
“I love my son,” she said. “And I hate that he, along with so many others, are being swept into this narrative about the need to ‘eliminate waste, fraud and abuse.’”
Ferguson also was joined by Sommer Kleweno Walley, the CEO of Harborview Medical Center; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell; and health-care union members.
Kleweno Walley said Harborview is the perfect place to highlight Medicaid’s crucial role in the state’s health-care system; more than 34% of its patients depend on the program for their health coverage.
“Harborview is the backbone of the state’s health-care safety net,” she said. “And with cuts at the level being considered in the other Washington, Harborview’s ability to serve every patient is in doubt.”
The cuts considered by Congress could lead Harborview to lose hundreds of millions of dollars each year, Kleweno Walley said.
But such reductions wouldn’t only hit Medicaid patients, she said. They’d disturb the financial equilibrium that bolsters the whole health-care system, diminishing resources and access to care for all Washingtonians, regardless of insurance.
“It is impossible to overstate the crisis that cuts of this magnitude would mean for Harborview and for the state’s entire safety net,” Kleweno Walley said.
Washington state lawmakers fielded questions about possible federal Medicaid cuts throughout the 2025 legislative session that wrapped late last month.
House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, a Tacoma Democrat, said earlier this spring that if federal Medicaid funding ever evaporated, “there is not a state in this country that can backfill that in any way, shape or form.” Some have warned that if Medicaid were to disappear, it could force state lawmakers into a special session.
But Washington Democrats aren’t alone in wanting Medicaid to be preserved.
State Rep. Michelle Caldier, a Gig Harbor Republican, penned a letter to Trump in March urging him to rethink any proposed Medicaid reductions.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM.
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