After a protracted special legislative session, Washington state lawmakers passed a budget for the next two years that does not include any cuts to the state’s Basic Health Plan (include link to our eligibility page), an insurance program for the working poor. Currently, Basic Health Plan provides insurance for around 69,000 state residents.

The budget, however, assumes the federal government will give the state $12.9 million to help run the program. If the federal money does not come through, Washington state may need to reduce the number of people on the plan by 4,000.