If your family is anything like mine, your Thanksgiving dinner might be served with a lot of opinions on politics—especially on hot topics like Medicaid expansion. We’re in the middle of open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace, which means people are finding out they fall in the Medicaid coverage gap, including our family members and friends here in Virginia.Virginia Organizing is here to help you survive the holiday with some great information on Medicaid expansion so you’re prepared for those fun family discussions! Before you settle down for your traditional family meal, please call Governor Terry McAuliffe at 804-786-2211 and ask him to be sure to include Medicaid expansion in his budget plans this year! Medicaid expansion is still an important issue and we need to make sure the Governor knows that Virginians support him adding this to the budget.
Here are some facts about Medicaid expansion:
- Medicaid expansion is good for Virginia’s economy and good for families.
- The people who would be eligible for Medicaid if expanded are mostly working full-time trying to provide for their families.
- Medicaid is the most efficient health care plan in the nation in terms of costs and in Virginia, our fraud, waste, and abuse is so low that other states are looking to us for our model.
- Medicaid expansion will provide up to 400,000 people with an opportunity to have medical coverage and not go into debt when they get sick. It also lowers health care costs because people can see a doctor for preventive care and earlier on when they first start experiencing symptoms instead of ending up in an emergency room when illnesses are more expensive to treat.
- Medicaid expansion saves taxpayers money. We are already paying for it, but we are not seeing the benefit to our state. In fact, if you have insurance you are paying even more when Medicaid is not expanded because hospitals have to charge insured patients more money in order to recoup the losses for providing unreimbursed care for those that cannot pay. Insurance companies pass these costs on to you.
- Medicaid expansion will create about 30,000 jobs. That’s a lot of people working, paying taxes, and spending money in the Commonwealth!
- Expansion will close the coverage gap. An individual falls in the Medicaid coverage gap when they make too much money to qualify for the current Medicaid program, but not enough to qualify for subsidies to purchase insurance. You can read a lot more about Medicaid expansion and the many people that support it by clicking here.
While we can’t cover every topic that might come up as you pass the mashed potatoes, we do post a lot of information about issues like immigration reform and local campaigns that may be helpful to you on our website at www.virginia-organizing.org and on Facebook.
Thank you for taking action!
Sincerely,
Sandra A. Cook
Chairperson
