General Assembly rejects governor’s bid to expand Medicaid
Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe blasted Republican legislators last Wednesday after they rejected his budget amendment to expand Medicaid in Virginia.
“Virginia Republicans block #Medicaid expansion once again,” McAuliffe tweeted after the General Assembly reconvened to consider legislation that the governor vetoed or wanted amended.
“400k Virginians remain w/o healthcare. We’re losing $6.6mil every day,” McAuliffe wrote after the GOP-controlled House of Delegates rebuffed his Medicaid proposal.
The vote was made when legislators returned to the state Capitol on April 5 to consider 39 bills that Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed during the General Assembly’s 2017 session. In addition to the budget amendment, legislators reviewed a record breaking 40 vetoed bills by McAuliffe during the legislative session that ended Feb. 25.
McAuliffe and other Democrats reiterated their call for Medicaid expansion after the U.S. House of Representatives last month failed to reach an agreement on repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
That federal law, also known as Obamacare, encouraged states to expand Medicaid, the health coverage program for low-income Americans.
The proposed amendment would have given McAuliffe the authority this October to direct the Department of Medical Assistance Services to expand Medicaid if the Affordable Care Act is still in place. State officials say the expansion would cover about 400,000 low-income Virginians.
Every year since he was elected in 2013, McAuliffe has advocated expanding Medicaid. And every year, Republican lawmakers have voted against the idea.
“We rejected expansion in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and again in 2017 because it was the wrong policy for the commonwealth,” the GOP House leadership said in a statement. “The lack of action in Washington has not changed that and in fact, the uncertainty of federal health policy underscores the need to be cautious over the long term.”
Under the Affordable Care Act, states can expand Medicaid to cover people making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $16,640 for an individual. About half of the 31 states that accepted Medicaid expansion have Republican governors. Earlier in the session,
Del. Jimmie Massie (R-Henrico) outlined the Republicans’ position on the issue.
“Our Republican caucus believes in minimal government, in government doing only what it must,” Massie said.
He said Medicaid is the largest entitlement program in the state and costs are rising.
“As such, we cannot prudently responsibly expand such an entitlement program at this time,” Massie said. “We must reform it and look for the Virginia way. And that is exactly what we’re doing in this house.”
Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, a practicing pediatric neurologist, pushed for McAuliffe’s proposed amendment just before the veto session began.
“We need to do the right thing here in Virginia. We need to go upstairs, both in the House and the Senate, and pass the governor’s amendment to move forward with Medicaid expansion,” Northam said.
Liberal organizations like Progress Virginia were angered by the GOP’s decision on the matter.
“Health care is a basic human right. It is beyond outrageous that House Republicans have prioritized petty partisan politics over real human lives by refusing to expand Medicaid,” Anna Scholl, executive director of Progress Virginia, said in a press release. “These politicians should look in the eyes of individuals they’ve denied health care access and explain their vote.”
The issue is likely to remain contentious as McAuliffe finishes his term and Virginia elects a new governor in November. Northam is competing with former U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello for the Democratic nomination. Three candidates are seeking the Republican nomination: Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee; state Sen. Frank Wagner of Virginia Beach; and Corey Stewart, who chairs the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.
“I will continue to fight for access to quality and affordable healthcare for all Virginians along with the Governor and our administration,” Northam said in a statement.
NEWS EDITOR
Maura Mazurowski
Maura is a senior pursuing degrees in cinema and mass communications. This is her second year at the CT; prior to joining transferring to VCU, Maura was the news editor for two years at Virginia Tech’s student newspaper, the Collegiate Times. Maura has been published in USA TODAY, Elite Daily and other online publications. Her ideal job would involve combining investigative journalism and film. If all else fails, hopefully The Onion will be hiring.
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