BREMERTON – Not long after Rebecca Nystrom relocated from Arizona to start a graduate program at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, her husband became seriously ill. Alongside her daughter, who has autism and mobility issues, medical expenses became an even higher annual expense.
Nystrom, who has worked as an independent therapist in Bremerton since 2022, does not have an option for employer-based insurance. Instead, she has purchased the coverage her family so desperately needs through the Washington Healthplanfinder, an online marketplace run by the state.
But like thousands of other Washingtonians, she is reconsidering whether she will stay with her insurance long-term, after seeing her annual premium rise by well over 200%, to a monthly rate of $2,380. Her lowest option for a deductible also doubled, rising to $1,000, meaning she’ll be expected to pay more out of pocket…