Thank you to all advocates who have emailed their legislators about the need to extend Medicaid to low-income, uninsured Virginians. Given what happened yesterday, we need your help again today on Medicaid extension.

Yesterday, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees approved their budgets. Unfortunately, both committees would delay implementation of Medicaid extension until various reforms have been completed, and the Senate budget requires action by the 2014 General Assembly before extension could be implemented. This means extension of Medicaid would have to go through the entire legislative process again AND would not begin until July 2014 at the earliest instead of January 2014.

Here’s why that matters:

• 400,000 very low-income Virginians (many of them parents) would have to go without needed health care for many more months if we delay extension.
• Virginia would lose $5 million in federal funds for EACH DAY that we delay Medicaid extension beyond January 2014. That means that OUR federal tax dollars will be going to help people and create jobs in OTHER states instead of Virginia.

 

Reforming the Medicaid program to be more effective is good; but reforms should be implemented along with the extension. Voices is part of the HAV Coalition: Healthcare for All Virginians. HAV has an updated fact sheet on Medicaid extension that clearly explains all the ramifications of delaying this action.

The full House and full Senate will consider their own budgets this Thursday. Because Senate Democrats were very displeased with this delay, we are expecting – and we support – an effort to change the Senate budget amendment which delays implementation of the extension.

Between now and Thursday, each of us needs to urge our senator to support a change to the budget language.  Please contact your senator (especially if Republican) to say that you oppose delaying implementation of Medicaid extension for the reasons stated above.

Please do this even if you have already contacted them about Medicaid extension- this is a NEW request.

To find out who your senator is, go to http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/VGAMain?openform . If you CALL, use the Capitol number and give the message to your senator’s secretary.

Thank you for taking action!

 

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