Health Care
Session 2017: Key Budget Policy Choices
Key proposed changes to the enacted budget, Ch. 780 click image for pdf...
Studied to Death: Virginia Lawmakers Have An Opportunity to Make Real Progress on Mental Health Reform. Will They?
Today, from a national stand-point, Virginia is recognized as having a mental health system with results well below the national average.
A Glimpse into What Repealing the Affordable Care Act Could Cost Virginia
Repealing the Affordable Care Act without replacement would be a huge step backwards for our economy and the health and economic security of low and moderate-income families throughout the commonwealth. There have been major strides in providing improved and accessible health coverage to millions of Virginians since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. Preserving the gains made and improving upon them through any potential “replace” bill needs to be a top priority for Congress.
Early Look: Governor McAuliffe’s Proposed Budget Amendments
Policymakers have been struggling for months with revenue that fell short of forecasts despite a growing economy. Last week, the...
Critical Care, Critical Contributions
Ongoing deliberation in Virginia about the need to expand Medicaid coverage, opportunities to leverage provider assessments to support health care access, and policies to revamp the certificate of public need process in the commonwealth all draw attention to the health care sector’s pivotal role in our economy.
Two Steps Back, One Step Forward: Low-income Virginia workers still unlikely to be offered insurance through their workplace
After several years of decline, Virginia (and the United States as a whole) are finally starting to see an uptick in the share of working-age adults covered through employer-sponsored insurance. This encouraging trend may be explained in part by the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate. Under the mandate, more firms in 2015 were required to offer insurance to their employees or pay a fine. From 2014 to 2015, 37,000 Virginians gained coverage through increased use of employer-sponsored insurance.
Virginia’s Failure to Close the Coverage Gap Shows up in Census Data
Today’s Census data on the number of Virginians who remain without any health insurance are a stark reminder of the costs of failing to close the coverage gap. Closing this gap would be good for all of us.
How More Virginia Women Could be Treated for Maternal Depression
Virginia lawmakers have the opportunity to help economically challenged, uninsured moms and their children get the care they need to be healthy and productive. The well-being of all women and children is too important to ignore.
Virginia Has Another Chance to Get It Right on Health Coverage
Virginia residents may face another round of cuts to vital services because state revenues are coming in lower than expected. And, once again, a common sense solution to saving the state money and boosting Virginia’s economy is staring right at lawmakers: closing the health care coverage gap. Closing the gap could inject roughly $2 billion in federal money per year into Virginia, help as many as 400,000 low-paid Virginians get the medical care they need to be healthy and productive, and protect vital services from cuts by saving the state hundreds of millions of dollars.