KIAC bringing free medical clinic in-house after provider winds down

BREMERTON — The Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center is in the process of establishing an in-house medical clinic for the first time, after the organization's long-time partner, West Sound Free Clinic ceased providing free medical consultations three times a month to KIAC's clients.

Despite that recent legislation has allowed undocumented immigrants in Washington to purchase health insurance plans through the state exchange, the bar to pay for healthcare is still high for many immigrants. That's why the Bremerton-based nonprofit is navigating its procedures and policy to ensure that free medical care continues to be available to those it serves.

Specifically, licensed healthcare providers who previously volunteered at West Sound Free Clinic with transfer to voluntarily practice medicine directly within KIAC's organization. The nonprofit also formed an oversight committee to ensure proper policies and procedures are in place.

"What we'd really like is to not have to have a free clinic in-house," said Kimberly Cizek Allen, the interim executive director of KIAC. "We would like to be able for our patients to afford to see primary care providers and get routine care, but that's not the reality that we live in."

West Sound Free Clinic was a non-profit mobile clinic founded in 2012, staffed by volunteer doctors and nurse practitioners, which offered free medical care for uninsured or underinsured people in Kitsap and Mason counties. The clinic dissolved in fall and was no longer in operation.

Founded in 2004, KIAC now serves immigrants in Kitsap, Jefferson, Clallam, Mason and Pierce counties, with locations in Belfair and Port Townsend besides the main office on Wheaton Way.

The medical clinic was just a part of KIAC's years of effort to coordinate with community partners to provide free or low-cost medical care to the immigrant community west of Puget Sound.

According to KIAC's annual report in 2022, over 160 patients were seen by providers in 32 medical clinics offered by West Sound Free Clinic, and there were 30 physical therapy sessions were provided by Kitsap Physical Therapy. KIAC also partnered with Peninsula Community Health Services for dental care, and with Project Access Northwest to offer specialty healthcare, Allen said.

New law allows anyone to buy health insurance

Starting in November, everyone who lives in Washington State, regardless of immigration status, can purchase health and dental insurance that will take effect in January 2024 through Washington Healthplanfinder, which was created by the state after the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010.

This change dates back to legislation in December 2022, when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Treasury approved the state’s first-in-kind State Innovation Waiver under Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act. The waiver authorizes Washington Health Benefit Exchange to expand access to health and dental plans through Washington Healthplanfinder, according to a statement from Washington Health Benefit Exchange in 2022.

As a result of the approval, starting in 2024, all uninsured state residents will be able to access qualified health plans (QHPs), stand-alone qualified dental plans (QDPs), and Cascade Care Savings, a state-funded program that lowers premium costs for customers up to 250% of the federal poverty level. Before, nearly 25% of the state’s uninsured population can't obtain coverage through Washington Healthplanfinder due to federal restrictions related to their immigration status, according to the state Exchange.

The applicant's information about immigration status won't be used for immigration enforcement, but only to determine eligibility for coverage, as federal and state laws protect the privacy of people who apply for health insurance through Washington Healthplanfinder, according to Washington Healthplanfinder.

The waiver approval is effective from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2028.

Also, beginning in July 2024, undocumented adults with income less than 138% of the federal poverty level may be eligible for an Apple Health-like program, but the state legislature's funding for this is limited and will be first come first serve, Allen said.

"Those two components are going to help improve access, but they're not nearly enough," said Allen, as many of the undocumented immigrants don't seek care because the insurance and healthcare are too expensive, and people often don't go to see a doctor until their health situation has become really dire, she said.

It's important to continue to provide care not only for KIAC's clients but also for the broader community, Allen said, pointing out that foreign-born people made up 6.8% of the population in Kitsap County, which is over 18,000 immigrants in the county, according to the U.S. census in 2020.

"It helps with communicable illnesses. It helps with a healthier community in general. And it really does greatly impact those we serve who are marginalized and have a lot of barriers to accessing care," Allen said. In order to fill the gap, KIAC will see an increase in expenses for running the in-house medical clinic.

Equity in health care includes language services

KIAC continues to advocate for health equity for immigrants and has plans to work with other partners to bring information in Spanish and Mam regarding the new health insurance expansion at an in-person event later this month and through ongoing communication to inform people of these opportunities, KIAC's Family Services Director Annika Turner said.

“Expanding health insurance to all Washingtonians benefits all of us – it will reduce the spread of disease in our community and the wait time in the emergency room, and will improve health outcomes for childrenof uninsured parents," Turner said. "We all need to let our representatives know that we want health equity for immigrants to be fully funded in 2024."

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: KIAC provide in-house medical clinic to immigrants in Kitsap