Gov. Terry McAuliffe is counting on a changed political dynamic in Richmond and Washington to prevail in his final, parting attempt to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program.
Medicaid expansion lies at the center of the two-year budget McAuliffe proposed to the General Assembly’s money committees Monday, with an estimated $421.7 million in state savings that depends on a new assessment that hospitals would pay to cover Virginia’s share of the cost of extending health care coverage to about 300,000 uninsured Virginians.
Those estimated savings would be the foundation of other investments the governor has proposed to make in public education, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and raises for state employees and teachers. He also plans to build a substantial cash reserve to guard against economic uncertainty.
