Washington Governor Bob Ferguson is pushing back against federal changes that will remove thousands of lawfully present immigrants from Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program, beginning October 1. His administration has been working to preserve coverage where possible, but the effort is drawing criticism from people questioning why taxpayer-supported health care should cover noncitizens in the first place.
Much of the anger online also centers on exactly who Ferguson is trying to help, with several commenters claiming the affected residents are undocumented immigrants. The distinction matters, however, because the approximately 14,000 people Ferguson originally said were at risk of losing Apple Health are lawfully present immigrants whose eligibility is changing under new federal rules.
The changes stem from H.R. 1, the sweeping federal tax and spending law signed by President Donald Trump in 2025. Beginning October 1, 2026, the law changes Medicaid eligibility for certain refugees, asylees, and other noncitizen adults who are lawfully present in the United States.
Ferguson initially said approximately 14,000 immigrants in Washington could lose Apple Health as a result. His administration says outreach and immigration-status verification have since helped about 3,000 people preserve their eligibility, bringing the projected number losing coverage down to approximately 11,000.
Starting on January 1, many adults will have to complete at least 80 hours of work, education, or community engagement each month and renew their coverage every six months instead of manually. However, there has been no information concerning where those affected will be able to apply to get jobs, procure funds for education, or volunteer for the community, or whether they will also be competing against other Americans who are doing the same.
Washington officials estimate more than 600,000 residents will be subject to the new work requirements, though Ferguson claims to be developing an automated verification system that could help approximately 4000,000 of those people maintain coverage without repeatedly submitting information that the state already has.
Comments and Reactions to Bob Ferguson’s Apple Health Push
Several commenters nevertheless challenged Ferguson’s description of the affected population. One user wrote, “Bob, you calling illegal immigrants “lawful” because you’ve decided to redefine the term to mean an illegal immigrant in a sanctuary location. Changing what you call them doesn’t change the reality. They still take resources from citizens, increase the tax revenue the state must raise to pay for services, and hurt affordability for everyone in Washington as demand increases on a limited supply.” Similarly, another user wrote, “Illegal immigrants are not lawfulstop lying to the people!“
Others focused less on immigration status and more on whether taxpayers should be responsible for providing healthcare coverage to noncitizens. One commenter argued with, “Nobody should be forced to pay for another’s “free healthcare” when they struggle to PAY for their own because they “earn too much” to qualify for tax payer funded help.“
The conversation still has fire under it, and as it continues to go viral, more and more users are heading to the post and leaving their opinions and frustrations in the comments section below.
