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Whatcom presenters warn House budget Medicaid cuts could strain local behavioral health services
Summary
A presentation to the Whatcom County Behavioral Health Subcommittee said proposed House budget changes — including a possible block grant — could reduce Medicaid funding over a decade and harm local mental‑health and substance‑use services, providers and safety‑net care.
Brian Estes, a member of NAMI Whatcom and the group’s public policy committee, told the Behavioral Health Subcommittee on April 15 that proposed changes in the U.S. House budget could sharply reduce federal Medicaid funding and put local services at risk.
“If the House plan is enacted, Washington may lose $7 billion to $9 billion over a 10‑year period,” Estes said during a presentation to the subcommittee of the Incarceration Prevention and Reduction Task Force. He added that the change could come in the form of block grants and would “put at risk eligibility, benefits and access to health care including mental‑health treatment.”
The presentation said Medicaid (Apple Health in Washington) is the state’s largest insurer and supports hospitals, clinics and local behavioral‑health programs. Estes cited state enrollment figures, saying about 2.2 million Washington residents are enrolled in Medicaid, about 45 percent of children are covered, and more than 600,000 people statewide receive mental‑health or substance‑use services. He said roughly 70,000 Whatcom County residents use Apple Health locally.
Nut graf: The committee heard that abrupt reductions in federal Medicaid funding could force local providers to trim services and could increase pressure on emergency departments, crisis response teams and the criminal‑justice system. Committee members and staff described the issue as a looming local consequence of federal budget choices.
Estes listed local providers that rely on Medicaid reimbursements, including Unity Care Northwest, PeaceHealth and the Whatcom triage center, and said reductions could lead to program closures or significant downsizing. He said peer‑run programs such as NAMI’s local peer support could also lose funding.
Members asked about the state’s response and whether Washington is planning offsets. Tori Sandoz asked whether the state intends to preserve funding or rely on a block grant; Estes said he did not have specific state‑level answers and described the matter as under debate in Olympia and Washington, D.C. Dean White and Hannah Fisk said county and health‑department staff were monitoring potential impacts but could not yet quantify them.
Estes urged committee members to track federal action and to contact U.S. senators. He closed his presentation with, “We need care not cuts,” and noted local rallies opposing deep cuts.
Ending: Subcommittee members said they will continue to monitor federal and state budget developments and look for opportunities to coordinate local testimony and outreach. The committee did not take any formal action at the meeting.
