Client: Public Health – Seattle & King County
Worked with a coalition, including Solid Ground and the Children’s Alliance, to advance legislation to provide universal health coverage for children in Washington, then assisted with the bill’s implementation. The innovative model rolled together one state and three federal programs to expand health care for children, link them to a “medical home,” and tie future rate increases for health care providers to their performance, using evidence based preventive practices. (2007 – 2010)
Results: The Legislature passed a landmark bill in 2007 committing the state to the goal of universal health coverage for children. The program, Apple Health for Kids, covers children whose family incomes are up to 300 percent of poverty, now providing health care to 47 percent of children in the state. In spite of the necessity for the state to make dramatic budget cuts in 2010 and 2011, the Apple Health program continues to be in good health.