Healthcare a top concern in 3rd District

As early voting begins in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, healthcare costs continue to rank among voters’ top concerns heading into the midterms. Voters will decide Nov. 3 whether to retain the two-term Democratic incumbent, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, or send Republican state Senate Minority Leader John Braun to Washington, D.C. A recent Cook Political Report analysis shifted the race from “toss-up” to “leans Democrat” in the weeks leading up to the midterm election. An October KFF Health Tracking poll found a quarter of voters say they are “very worried” about being able to afford the cost of healthcare and an additional 35 percent say they are “somewhat worried.” These concerns outrank worries about the price of food, utilities and housing. The vast majority of voters, 82 percent, say the cost of living and healthcare costs are “very” or “extremely” important for candidates to discuss during the last pivotal weeks of the campaigns. For residents of Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, healthcare can come with a higher price tag. This year in the district, the average gross premium for a qualified health plan through the Washington Health Benefit Exchange was the highest in the state. The average gross premium in the district was $820, compared with $700 in 2025. The 3rd District includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties, plus a slice of Thurston County. Both Perez and Braun have voiced concerns about the current healthcare system but differ in what they see as the biggest problems and how best to lower costs for consumers. In television ads and debates, mailers and an Oct. 5 meeting with The Columbian’s Editorial Board, Perez has consistently criticized Braun’s stance on the slew of cuts and changes to Medicaid included as part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” also known as H.R. 1. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 21,654 people in the 3rd Congressional District could lose Medicaid coverage by 2034 due to H.R. 1. Changes as a result of the bill include work requirements and a six-month renewal process. A total of 199,200 residents in Washington’s 3rd Congressional District are enrolled in Medicaid, including 80,600 children and 63,900 adults covered through Medicaid expansion, the two largest groups of enrollees, according to Medicaid data. “The bill (H.R. 1) that he supports, it just adds more bureaucracy, it adds more paperwork,” Perez said in an Oct. 7 KOIN TV debate. “Nobody wants to spend more time doing administrative work. We want to see our actual doctors.” Staff at local nonprofits and service providers who work with clients on Apple Health, Washington’s Medicaid program, have questioned how the state will be able to process renewals under the new requirements. With renewals occurring every six months, their workload has doubled. They also worried that many people would struggle to meet work requirements within the required time frame. During a July 18 roundtable on rural health care challenges and rising costs at Cowlitz Family Health Center, CEO Jim Coffee warned that Medicaid work requirements taking effect in 2027 could affect clinics across the 3rd Congressional District. “I think it’s going to be a lot more work for medical clinics like ours to provide the paperwork and do the background pieces to keep those people enrolled, both medically as well as administratively,” Coffee said. “It’s going to get worse.” In the same KOIN TV debate, Braun described the Medicaid cuts and changes as “reductions” and argued that the new work requirements have broad public support, despite opposition from major medical associations and physician groups. “They put some commonsense reforms in to try and reduce the growth of Medicaid,” Braun said. “We need to get this right on what (H.R. 1.) does before people start attacking it.” Braun also acknowledged in a May interview with The Columbian that while Republicans have been right to argue that the current system isn’t working, they have been less specific about what changes would be effective. He said his top priority is to foster a more competitive healthcare market, whether it be for pharmaceuticals or procedures, to give consumers more choices. “We have to provide more transparency to how healthcare is funded,” Braun said. “Healthcare insurance companies are making record profits right now. We do know that, and transparency helps people make decisions.” Industry contributions Campaign finance records from OpenSecrets, a nonprofit that tracks money in American politics, show how much candidates receive from health insurers and other healthcare interests. Perez has received $206,664 in contributions from the health industry for the current campaign cycle, with the majority coming from individual physicians, psychiatrists and psychologists, according to OpenSecrets data. In 2024, she received $584,972 from the health industry. While individual clinicians accounted for the largest share, contributions also came from hospitals, biotech products and research, healthcare services, other nonphysician health practitioners and nurses. A similar pattern appeared in 2022. Braun has received $43,979 in contributions from the health industry for the current campaign cycle, with the majority coming from nursing homes, medical devices and supplies, and nurses, according to OpenSecrets data. Campaign contributions during Braun’s tenure as state Senate minority leader, representing the 20th Legislative District from 2019 to 2024, show that pharmaceuticals and health products, health maintenance organizations and health professionals were among his top industry contributors. Reporter Kelly Moyer contributed to this report. Kimberly Cortez: 360-735-4522; kimberly.cortez@columbian.com

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