Virginia Republicans’ Resistance To Expanding Medicaid Starting To Crack
Two Republican state senators said this week they would accept some form of broader Medicaid benefits. The issue has sparked a fiery debate in the state, with the Senate blocking the House's attempts to expand the program. Lawmakers are holding a special session to try to resolve the fight.
The New York Times:
Virginia Is Close To Expanding Medicaid After Years Of Republican Opposition
Elections have consequences, goes the old saw, and in Virginia a Democratic wave in November remade the political landscape on one of the state’s longest-running and most contentious issues: whether to expand Medicaid to 400,000 low-income residents. Republicans lost 15 seats in the House of Delegates and, left clinging to a bare majority, did an about-face on Medicaid expansion — an issue that to many had smacked of “Obamacare.” But Republicans in the State Senate, who had not faced voters, blocked expansion last month, and lawmakers failed to pass a state budget because of the issue. (Gabriel, 4/6)
The Washington Post:
Virginia Is On The Cusp Of Expanding Medicaid After Key Republican Lawmaker Says He Would Support It
State Sen. Frank W. Wagner (Virginia Beach) said he supports allowing more poor people to enroll in the federal-state health-care program on two conditions. He wants the plan structured so Medicaid recipients do not suddenly lose coverage if their earnings rise. And he wants a tax credit or some other help for middle-income people who already have insurance but are struggling to pay soaring premiums and co-pays. (Vozzella, 4/6)
The Hill:
GOP State Senator Says He Will Support Va. Medicaid Expansion
Even if Wagner votes with the Democrats, there are still notable barriers to Medicaid expansion being passed. Another Republican senator, Emmett W. Hanger Jr., has supported some forms of Medicaid expansion in the past, but objected to provisions in the House bill, the Post reported. Hanger wants to eliminate a hospital “bed tax” that would be used to pay for the state’s share of the expansion. Wagner supports the tax but wants the money used to cover the cost of the middle-income tax break. (Weixel, 4/6)
