Va. Senate rejects bid to expand Medicaid

Feb. 22--As the House of Delegates moved forward on expanding Medicaid -- with support on both sides of the aisle-- the state Senate rejected that idea.

The state Senate vote was 21-19, on strict party lines, to reject expansion.

The House, meanwhile, approved one budget bill that included a version of Medicaid expansion by 69-31. Although House Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Height,s supported the move, 31 conservative Republicans, including Majority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah County, voted against expansion.

Del. Ben Cline, R-Lexington, was one of those chief opposing voices, and opposed some of the key Medicaid-related amendments.

His fear, shared by several of his colleagues, was that the federal government will not live up to its end of the bargain in helping fund the cost. That would leave the burden on taxpayers, they argued, and mess up what Cline described as the state's "sound fiscal policy."

"If we continue down this road of medicaid expansion, we do run the risk of crowding out other core functions of government -- public safety, roads...," Cline said, who is running for Congress.

"While we can continue to work on reforming our Medicaid system, I would hope my colleagues would give pause and consider not going forward with (it)," he said.

Del. T. Scott Garrett, R-Lynchburg, said there is a provision that allows the state to de-enroll people from the program if the federal government does not follow through. Garrett, a doctor, pointed out that he's voted against Obamacare-related legislation six times over the last six years, but this bill prioritizes some conservative ideals.

The vote came as the Senate began considering a budget proposal by the Senate Finance Committee, which rejected any form of Medicaid expansion.

The House Appropriations committee has proposed using $2.9 billion in federal funds to expand Medicaid to cover all Virginians with incomes less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

The House proposed doing so if the state can win federal approval to require adult Medicaid beneficiaries who are not disabled find work.

State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, a member of the Senate Finance Committee proposed an amendment to its budget that would bring it in line with the House version.

She said using Affordable Care Act funds to expand Medicaid would allow more than 300,000 low income Virignians to get health insurance and would free $422 million of state funds that could be used for other priorities.

"Whenever you put together a budget you need to look at potential revenue ... it is responsible stewardship" she said. "How can we not act?"

State Sen. Richard Black, R-Loudoun, spoke up for conservative members of his caucus opposing the expansion

"This country has suffered enormously from government dependency," he said, adding that expanding Medicaid would cover members of the middle class. The imcome cut off for Medicaid under the House budget would be $16,642 for a single person.

State Finance Committee co-chairman Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Solon, said he wanted to expand coverage, but couldn't agree to the approach the House and Howell suggested because it depends on winning federal approval for the work requirement and cost sharing.

"Our number one priority should be proposing and delivery a balanced budget that agrresses the

.

.

This story will be updated

Amin can be reached by phone at 757-247-4890 or on Twitter at @reemadamin.

___

(c)2018 the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)

Visit the Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) at www.dailypress.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.