SEATTLE -- Workers on the front lines stressed it's important for their colleagues in essential services to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Shanai Cole, administrative assistant for the Everett School District's community service department, was able to get vaccinated through her union, Public School Employees of Washington SEIU 1948.

She pointed out the process was quick and easy, and she decided to volunteer the day she was vaccinated, helping about 650 people in the school district get the Johnson and Johnson shot.

Cole encouraged folks to get inoculated.

"Maybe it's not just for you personally; it's for our community at large," Cole remarked. "It's to allow our kids to go back into school. It's to allow people to have their jobs again. It's so much bigger than just one person at a time."

The state is scheduled to enter the next phase of vaccine eligibility Wednesday, lowering the age to people 60 and older.

High-risk workers, such as first responders and folks who work in congregate care facilities and grocery stores, are already eligible.

Amirah Harris, a caregiver in Tacoma and member of SEIU 775, received the vaccine and said it's important for caregivers like her to get it.

"We are in contact with people who are not in the best health," Harris noted. "We are in contact with people who cannot make the best decisions for themselves, so we have to make a good decision for ourselves in a way that impacts others in a good way."

Harris added she's spoken to colleagues who are skeptical about the vaccine and encourages them to do research into its safety.

Nearly 30% of Washingtonians have received at least one shot of the vaccine, according to the most recent data tracked by The New York Times.

During National Health Center Week, health-care advocates are highlighting the work Community Health Centers are doing to improve access to care throughout the state.

More than 600,000 Missourians turn to Community Health Services for primary care and preventive services - as well as dental, mental-health and substance-abuse services.

Steve Douglas - director of marketing and public relations with ACCESS Family Medical and Dental Clinics in Neosho - said their focus is underserved populations, including people without health insurance or gaps in coverage.

"We're able to get them a lot of care they can't get any other place," said Douglas. "And if we can take care of a debilitating health issue, or a toothache, whatever it may be, they can get back into the workforce and provide for their family and keep them off of other government assistance programs."

Nearly 75% of Missourians served by CHCs have incomes at or below 100% of the federal poverty level. About one-in-four lack health insurance, and nearly half have Medicaid.

Douglas said state and federal funding are critical to their work, especially in rural communities where medical care is more scarce. He pointed to programs such as the National Health Service Corps, which helps connect medical professionals to jobs in underserved areas.

"We need incentives to get the very best providers that we can possibly have," said Douglas. "The people that are in our region deserve the same quality of health care they might see in Los Angeles. So support grants that help us to recruit and train great talent are just vital."

During National Health Center Week, the Missouri Primary Care Association and Community Health Centers are celebrating a $150 million investment in the 2023 state budget that will help expand services.

Health advocates are hailing the new Inflation Reduction Act, saying it would be the biggest health-care reform since the Affordable Care Act.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote tomorrow on the bill, which already has passed the Senate. Anthony Wright, executive director of the Health Access California, said it includes many proposals activists have pursued for years.

"It would allow the government to negotiate down prices for the most expensive drugs," said Wright. "It would cap Medicare costs for medications, and it would require rebates if prices rose greater than the rate of inflation. That would help millions of Californians."

The bill also would extend subsidies from the American Rescue Plan that help people afford health care. Without the extension, Wright said he predicts the average Covered California enrollee would see an 82% increase in premiums - a jump of about $1,000 per year.

Bianca Blomquist - California policy director and Northern California outreach director for Small Business Majority - said more than half of people enrolled in ACA-subsidized health plans work for or own a small business, or are self-employed.

"The provisions in this package are crucial for the equitable recovery of small businesses in California," said Blomquist. "And we urge Congress to advance a vote on this legislation quickly."

The American Rescue Plan capped CoveredCA premiums at 8.5% of income. That is set to expire at the end of the year unless the Inflation Reduction Act becomes law.

Backers of a bill now in the U.S. Senate contended it will address rising health care costs and could provide Americans with some relief.

Part of the Inflation Reduction Act would allow Medicare to negotiate directly on prescription drug prices in 2023, and cap out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare patients at $2,000 a year. It comes a month after Gov. Ned Lamont expanded the state's Covered Connecticut program to adults without children.

Jim Manley, board member of Consumers for Quality Care, noted rising out-of-pocket costs are a chief concern.

"The issue comes down to caps on copays, rising deductibles and prescription drug copays," Manley explained. "Caps on copays are largely absent from the current health care bill that the Senate is going to take up this week. And so, that's been driving out-of-pocket costs higher and higher for more and more Americans."

In the group's new survey, 45% of Americans said their out-of-pocket costs are far too high, and more than 70% feel health care costs are increasing "much more than other things they need." The Urban Institute said one in 10 people in Connecticut, and 13% of Americans overall, have past-due medical debt.

Manley feels while the issue is important, it will not be a dominant factor in the November midterm elections. However, he believes a change is needed. In the survey, 60% of people said they skipped or delayed medical treatment because it is so expensive.

"Health insurers have shifted costs onto patients through higher deductibles and out-of-pocket costs," Manley pointed out. "That's proven to be a real problem for the American consumer. It is leading them to either skip the care and/or go into medical debt. Medical debt is increasingly rampant throughout this country."

For now, the Affordable Care Act outlines out-of-pocket caps, but Manley believes they should be updated. His group also is backing a cap on the price of insulin, which according to a 2020 study is much higher in the U.S. than in most countries.