Washington state’s public option for healthcare is growing, even as fewer people are signing up for health insurance overall, according to new data from the Washington Health Benefit Exchange. 

Total enrollment on the state’s exchange dropped by about 13% this year after federal financial help expired, causing premiums to rise and pushing some people to cancel coverage. 

Rep. Mia Gregerson, D-SeaTac, said despite the challenges, the state’s public option plan, known as Cascade Select, has been very successful. 

“We were subsidizing in places that made sense so that it was more affordable for people regardless of their work status, family size, place of residency,” Gregerson pointed out. “We made sure that people, no matter which of the 39 counties they lived in, they had access.” 

Gregerson noted individuals and families qualify for Cascade Select if they make 250% of the federal poverty level or lower, about $39,000 a year for one person or nearly $67,000 a year for a family. 

The new data show more people are now relying on state-funded financial help to afford coverage. A record number of residents are receiving Cascade Care Savings, which is helping offset the loss of federal subsidies and keeping some people insured who might otherwise have dropped out. 

With the passage of House Resolution 1 and the expiration of federal enhanced premium tax credits, many Washington residents saw their premiums for government health insurance double or even triple this year. 

Gregerson acknowledged the state has had to make tough decisions to keep affordable plans available. 

“I feel like we have a storm we’re trying to weather,” Gregerson observed. “It’s hard not to think in a short term when it comes to just trying to keep the lights on, trying to keep the programs going.” 

This story is republished from Public News Service, an independent, member-supported news organization and Certified B Corporation committed to increasing awareness of and engagement with critical public interest issues by reporting and delivering credible journalism and media packages through a network of independent state newswires.