Health Care
Evidence Shows Medicaid Expansion Is Not a Budget Buster
The budgets passed by the Virginia House and Senate highlight two different pathways to improve health care access for the commonwealth: one concrete and funded, the other aspirational. While the House has welcomed federal funds to extend health insurance to hundreds of thousands of low-income Virginians, the Senate aims to prioritize individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). Unfortunately, the Senate does not have the funding to implement their priorities. But if the Senate agrees to the Medicaid expansion proposal put forth by the House, they could use the savings from that to also help more individuals with ID/DD. The budget impasse could transform to a win-win situation for both chambers.
Lawmakers Have an Opportunity to Support Rural Hospitals
Many of Virginia’s rural hospitals are facing financial challenges. In 2015, almost half of the state’s rural hospitals were operating in the red, and the situation is projected to get worse in the years ahead. Yet policymakers have an opportunity to help fix this. When the General Assembly returns on April 11 to finish work on the state’s two-year budget, lawmakers will again face the decision of whether to accept federal funds to expand health coverage to more low-income Virginians. When it comes to supporting rural hospitals, the decision is straightforward. Reducing the number of uninsured Virginians through Medicaid expansion will help rural hospitals keep their doors open.
Let’s Honor Veterans By Ensuring They Have Access to Affordable Health Care Coverage
More than 10,000 veterans in Virginia could get quality, affordable health care coverage through Medicaid expansion. But only if lawmakers accept federal funds to expand health care coverage. Legislators have the opportunity to show that they too support our veterans by expanding Medicaid when they reconvene for a special legislative session starting April 11th.
Fixing Healthcare Access for Virginia Women
When lawmakers return to Richmond on April 11, they’ll have the opportunity to improve the lives of more than 118,000 women in the commonwealth who are uninsured and could gain coverage if Virginia expands its Medicaid program. Doing so would turn Virginia’s current swiss cheese system of limited health benefits and arbitrary income cut-offs for low-income working women into access to comprehensive, affordable health care through the state’s managed care Medicaid program.
Medicaid Plays a Critical Role in Every District Across Virginia
People in every legislative district in the state are supported with health care coverage through the Medicaid program.
Playing Chicken with Children’s Health Coverage
Termination notices are scheduled to be sent to thousands of Virginia families on December 1 letting them know that health insurance for their children will end early next year; that is, unless Congress takes steps to mitigate an impending crisis of their own making that would see around 65,000 Virginia children and 1,100 pregnant women lose their health coverage.
Building Opportunity: A Toolkit for Virginia’s Future
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ACA Continues to Increase Health Coverage, Yet Other States Leap Ahead of Virginia
It’s time for Virginia to expand Medicaid so that our people can get the care they need to go to work, take care of their kids, and be healthy, productive members of their community.
Building Opportunity: A Toolkit for Virginia’s Future
We all want to believe that if we meet our obligations and if we work hard at the things we choose to do that we’ll be rewarded with opportunities to get ahead.