Congratulations! We are one step closer to Medicaid expansion! Thanks to you and thousands of other folks like you around Virginia, we helped move the General Assembly to do something that seemed almost impossible two months ago. We have more work to do, but take a minute to think about how far we’ve come!

 

As you are probably aware, the Virginia General Assembly passed amendments to the budget last weekend that included creation of the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission — a panel of Delegates and Senators to decide if Medicaid reforms have been met so expansion can begin.

 

We understand that this Commission presents its own challenges and that we have a lot more work to do before Virginia is able to extend Medicaid coverage to more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians, but you should be very proud of what you helped accomplish in such a short time.

 

I’m confident that because of your calls, letters, visits, and phone banking efforts, Virginia is one step closer to Medicaid expansion.

 

Remember back in December when Governor Bob McDonnell removed funding for Medicaid expansion from the budget and took a stand against expanding? It took a lot of hard work to get this far on one of the most important policies in decades, and while we are not certain of the fate of expansion yet, we are so much closer to this goal than we were just two months ago.  

 

Many of you know that making big changes in Virginia does not happen overnight, and Medicaid expansion is no different! Virginia Organizing will continue to take action to make sure that legislators know that the people of Virginia want Medicaid expansion, and we want it without delay.

 

On behalf of the entire State Governing Board of Virginia Organizing, thank you for what you have done to help bring Medicaid expansion to Virginia.

 

Stay ready to act and keep reading our e-mails for more information! As we sort through all the details, we will keep you informed as to what you can do to help.

 

Sincerely,

 

Sandra A. Cook

Chairperson