The Virginia Senate is about to reignite the public debate over Medicaid expansion, but Gov. Ralph Northam and House Republicans aren’t ready to play their cards on how to resolve the biggest issue facing the General Assembly in the next six weeks.
The Senate Education and Health Committee plans to hear presentations Thursday for three proposals to expand the state Medicaid program through legislation, which, if any of them pass, would promptly go to the Finance Committee as it grapples with the parting proposal by then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe to take more than $3.2 billion in federal money to expand health coverage in the two-year budget.
The committee also will hear an alternative approach by one of its members, Sen. Siobhan S. Dunnavant, R-Henrico, who proposes to expand an existing federal Medicaid waiver for a limited range of services while preparing for a “global waiver” to totally redesign the state program in the future.
