Virginia Governor Needs Further Assurance Before Agreeing to Expand Medicaid

Virginia GOP Gov. Bob McDonnell told state lawmakers debating an expansion of the Medicaid program that he would reject such a bill “until major reforms are authorized and completed, and until we receive guarantees that the federal government’s promises to the states can be kept without increasing the immoral national debt.”

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act allows states to choose to expand their Medicaid programs to more residents slightly above the poverty line with full federal funding for the additional cost for three years and no less than 90 percent after that.

The expansion is the biggest item for the state legislature to hammer out before it adjourns Saturday, according to a report by the Washington Post, which notes that Medicaid currently accounts for one-fifth of the Virginia’s general fund.

Seven Republican governors so far have opted to accept the Medicaid expansion, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott, one of the PPACA’s most vocal opponents.

Virginia Governor Needs Further Assurance Before Agreeing to Expand Medicaid

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