Dear Friend,

Today, DC closed the doors to the Alliance, reduced healthcare coverage for 25,000 DC residents and kicked over 2,800 people off their insurance as reported in the Washington Post and the 51st with plans to completely eliminate the program in 2027.

The Alliance is a healthcare program established in 2001 following the closure of DC General Hospital. The Alliance provides healthcare services to low-income DC residents who are ineligible for other public health insurance programs, such as Medicaid or Medicare. It is an essential program for DC’s immigrant community.

This heartless change in the program comes after this year’s fast-tracked budget process and without any real attempts to lower program costs or assess its impact.

Today, Deputy Mayor of Health and Human Services and Director of the Department of Health Care Finance Wayne Turnage said: “the city has been very noble in their efforts to see that persons who are not citizens have coverage.”

The benefits of health insurance are many - to families, individuals, employers and communities. Instead of finding real ways to protect a 25-year-old program, he is prepared to oversee the dismantling of this “noble” effort.  Send Director Turnage an email: Healthcare isn’t a matter of nobility; it’s a right. 

DC JWJ and our allies have been fighting back to save the Alliance. We're fighting for a fully restoration of benefits and coverage! Plus, over the past month, volunteers and service providers held clinics at Sacred Heart church and registered over 230 individuals who will no longer be eligible to apply. You can join the fight at our rally and lobby day on October 22. 

Want to learn more about the DC Healthcare Alliance? Join October 14th at 3:00 pm us for a webinar with Legal Aid DC and La Clinica del Pueblo to learn about this important healthcare program that has served DC residents for over two decades. Register for the webinar