The Virginia election's influence on healthcare
The following article was written by Chuck Coder, chief financial officer, Novant Health UVA Health System
The Nov. 7 election results have the potential to reshape many of the issues currently being discussed in healthcare policy, especially regarding expanding coverage. According to exit polls, healthcare was a top-tier issue in voters’ minds. While Democrats did pick up several seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, Republican control of both bodies of the legislature remains intact, albeit by a razor-thin margin. As it stands currently, and pending a handful of recounts, Republicans have a 51-49 majority in the House of Delegates and a 21-19 majority in the Senate.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe has already announced his intention to include Medicaid expansion in his final proposed state budget. Gov.-elect Ralph Northam and newly elected Democratic delegates unanimously expressed support for Medicaid expansion during the campaign. Expansion will be a primary focus of Democrats’ healthcare efforts in the upcoming legislative session. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to encourage states to pursue alternative approaches to covering able-bodied adults. All of this creates an environment where an innovative, Virginia-specific and fiscally conservative approach to expanding coverage could find more fertile ground.
We are pleased to host many new members of the Prince William legislative delegation in mid-December so that we can begin educating them on Novant Health UVA Health System’s work in the communities we serve. |