Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is once again proposing Medicaid expansion, less than a month before he is slated to leave office.
The governor, who will be succeeded by Democrat Ralph Northam next month, included the initiative in his two-year budget proposal.
"Since the Affordable Care Act became the law of the land, Virginia has left more than $10.5 billion of our own tax dollars on the table, rather than bring them back to Virginia to benefit those who need it most," he told joint General Assembly money committees Monday.
"Through Medicaid expansion, we will be able to offer coverage to the nearly 400,000 Virginians who not only desperately need it, but they are entitled to it and we've already paid for it."
Mr. McAuliffe said the cost of Medicaid expansion will be funded through federal monies and an assessment on private acute care hospitals. Hospitals in return are expected to see reduced costs due to more insured patients.
This is not the first time Mr. McAuliffe has proposed Medicaid expansion. The state House of Delegates rejected his attempt to expand coverage last April.
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