Background

1 out of 8 people across the United States lack access to health insurance. About 25% of the uninsured population is made up of undocumented immigrants. Locally, Washington state is home to a reported 250,000 undocumented immigrants who lack access to health insurance. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid, not allowed to obtain insurance through their employers, and cannot afford to purchase expensive insurance policies privately. Of legal residents who are uninsured, three quarters are low income, people of color, citing the high cost of coverage as barriers. 

For uninsured individuals, medical treatment is limited to what is available at community health centers. Without clear information available about clinics and their services, most of the uninsured population forgoes preventative care, and only seeks medical care during emergencies, by which time treatable conditions have often become life threatening. 

History

As a pre-medical student at the University of Washington, Marium Raza had volunteered with various  community health centers across the greater Seattle area. She'd also become friends with undocumented students who were just like her - but lacked the healthcare options she had often taken for granted. Aiming to make a difference, in 2018 she founded Elixir, with University of Washington students Falak Daud, Elena Spasova, and Sofia Viotto.