Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Advocacy Restore topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Immigrant groups, clinics and patients urge DC Council to restore Alliance benefits
Summary
Dozens of public witnesses — immigrant residents, advocacy groups and clinic leaders — told the Committee on Health that Alliance cuts have already caused missed care and financial hardship, and they pressed the council to restore eligibility to 215% FPL, reinstate vision and dental, and eliminate the age cap.
Multiple public witnesses told the Committee on Health that the DC Healthcare Alliance has functioned as a lifesaving program for immigrant and low‑income residents and that recent cuts are already harming families and workers.
"The Alliance is the bridal between life and dreams and reality," student Sandra Rodriguez said in testimony thanking the program for surgeries and continuing care. Speakers from La Clinica del Pueblo and Bread for the City described rising no‑show rates and an influx of patients who previously relied on covered specialty care. Alana Eichner of the National Domestic Workers Alliance said many domestic workers rely on Alliance for routine and specialty services and urged the council to return income eligibility to 215% of the federal poverty level and to restore dental, vision and the age‑26 and older coverage.
Advocates asked the committee to create an Alliance advisory body, improve culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach, and push for continuous enrollment protections in the new Healthy DC model. They also provided budget figures for the committee’s review — witnesses repeatedly cited $43 million (FY26) and $70 million (FY27) as illustrative costs for restoring broader eligibility and benefits. The committee recorded requests for written testimony and pledged continued oversight as agencies provide updated enrollment and cost data.
