AG’s office intervenes in case to ensure eligible Washingtonians receive Medicaid coverage
Attorney General Nick Brown has asked a court to let his office intervene in a Washington nonprofit’s lawsuit against the federal government seeking to protect Medicaid coverage for refugees and asylees, among other legal noncitizens living with significant health needs.
On September 30, U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly ordered the federal government to continue funding Medicaid benefits for these individuals in the lawsuit brought jointly by Seattle-based Neighborhood House and a noncitizen Washington resident. Washington is intervening to protect Washington’s interest in ensuring that its Medicaid program can provide benefits to all similarly situated Washingtonians and the Court’s injunction continues to protect all qualified Washingtonians as the case moves forward against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“We have a clear interest in protecting our neediest residents, many of whom fled warzones, and ensuring the federal government fulfills its financial responsibility to the state,” said Brown. “Many of these individuals are elderly, with significant medical needs, and would lose their healthcare or even their lives without this support that is now illegally threatened.”
“We are grateful the AGO is joining in this fight to preserve critical, life sustaining services for the most vulnerable Washingtonians,” said Janice Deguchi, Executive Director of Neighborhood House. “HR1 will strip coverage and cause deep, lasting harm to consumers and providers that rely on Medicaid. Neighborhood House is proud to stand with the AGO, co-plaintiff Mariia Matsai, and partners Northwest Health Law Advocates and Barnard, Iglitzin and Lavitt to preserve coverage and care for hundreds of the most vulnerable legally present non-citizen SSI Medicaid recipients in Washington.”
The case concerns individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is a federal program with very strict eligibility requirements. Individuals must have a serious disability that prevents them from working, or have blindness, or be over 65, and have little income or resources. Under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, some noncitizens are eligible for SSI, including refugees and people who have been granted asylum. It also says that if an individual is eligible for SSI, they are also eligible for Medicaid.
The 2025 budget bill, H.R. 1 or the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” excluded immigrants in this country legally from many federal health programs. However, H.R. 1 did not amend the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act to exclude refugees, asylees, and others from SSI. Therefore, this small group of SSI recipients is still eligible for Medicaid.
The Trump administration issued guidance in April 2026 that attempted to exclude this group from Medicaid benefits. Neighborhood House, which serves some of these individuals who had fled foreign conflicts and have long-term care needs, the Washington nonprofit, sued over this illegal guidance. For many of these SSI recipients, their Medicaid coverage pays for their housing, making the Trump administration’s attempt to kick them off Medicaid particularly dangerous.
The preliminary injunction in Neighborhood House and Mariia Matsai v. Department of Health and Human Services and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was granted in September, protecting coverage for nearly 1,000 Washingtonians.
As the court considers the state’s motion to intervene, the federal government has yet to appeal the preliminary injunction.
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