Virginia Medicaid Expansion Fails on Party Lines

ALEXANDRIA, VA -- The Virginia House failed to pass Medicaid expansion with a 34-66 vote Wednesday.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe introduced a budget amendment for Medicaid expansion last week after Republicans in Congress failed to move their Affordable Care Act replacement forward.

31 states and D.C. have approved Medicaid expansion. States expanding Medicaid receive a portion of matching federal funds. Under the ACA, people making below 133 percent of the federal poverty line are eligible for Medicaid coverage.

This would be about 400,000 low-income adults in Virginia.

An Urban Institute study estimated that Virginia would lose out on tens of billions in federal funding from 2013 to 2022 by not expanding Medicaid. The 10-year cost to Virginia taxpayers was estimated at $1.3 billion.

In a statement released after the vote, McAuliffe said, “We will continue to investigate every available option to expand Medicaid in Virginia. I will continue to fight to bring our taxpayer dollars home to save lives, create jobs, and make our Commonwealth stronger.”

Image via Commonwealth of Virginia