Tell Speaker Howell: Stop blocking health care for Virginians

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Bill Howell is standing in the way of getting affordable health care to nearly 200,000 of the state’s poor and disabled residents—despite the support of Virginia voters.

As speaker of the House, Howell plays a key leadership role that impacts the health and welfare of the entire state. From his district in Fredericksburg to Roanoke to Virginia Beach, families know the suffering caused by lack of affordable health care—and are waiting for the House of Delegates, under Speaker Howell’s leadership, to do the right thing and move immediately to expand Medicaid eligibility.

Accepting federally funded Medicaid expansion would save lives, save financially-at-risk rural hospitals, improve public health, create jobs, and boost the state economy. Expansion would get affordable medical care to Virginians in the “coverage gap” — those who aren’t currently eligible for the state’s Medicaid program but don’t make enough to qualify for subsidies under Obamacare. Hundreds of thousands of Virginians are in “the gap,” and the majority are the working poor, people who work for low wages and still can’t afford health care.

The cost of Medicaid expansion will be paid 100% by federal dollars (that’s money Virginia taxpayers have already sent to Washington) during the first three years. After that, federal support will taper to 90% of the cost by 2020. This is coverage Virginians have already paid for; without expansion, those dollars will go to other states. And polls show there’s bipartisan support for Medicaid expansion. Whether Republican or Democrat, Virginia voters support expanding access to life-saving health care for the state’s neediest residents.

Speaker Howell: It’s time to listen to Virginians and stop blocking Medicaid expansion. Let’s get our families and neighbors the health care they need.