Study: Virginia needs improvement for women’s health

Virginia Organizing released the Alliance for a Just Society’s “2014 Women’s Health Report Card” today, which ranked Virginia as number 25 with a grade of “C.” The report card provides important information on Virginia’s record on women’s health as lawmakers continue to stall Medicaid expansion for working Virginians.

“It is time that Virginia legislators put Virginians first,” said Sandra A. Cook, Chairperson of Virginia Organizing. “We can’t continue to fail women for the sake of politics. The first step to a healthier, better Virginia is expanding Medicaid.”

“Virginia Organizing calls on Speaker of the House of Delegates Bill Howell to stop stalling and find a solution for Virginian women,” Cook said.

The Urban Institute estimates that 169,000 women would benefit from Medicaid expansion in Virginia.

The 2014 Women’s Health Report Card for Virginia is available here.

Virginia’s final rank and grade were based on three areas: health coverage for women, women’s access to health care, and women’s health outcomes.

Looking at women’s health by race, the report card finds Virginia is doing an even worse job meeting the needs of women of color, who are uninsured at higher rates and also face worse health outcomes than women overall, adding urgency to the debate over Medicaid expansion.

“It’s time for politicians to put aside partisan bickering, start advocating for women, and take action to improve women’s health by expanding Medicaid,” said LeeAnn Hall, executive director of the Alliance for a Just Society, which produced the report card. “Our families, our communities, and our economy depend on women – women must be able to depend on Virginia to deliver on the promise of quality, affordable health care.”

The 2014 Women’s Health Report Card uses the latest available data from government sources to rank Virginia among the 50 states on 30 measures (and more than 50 individual data points) relating to women’s health issues. It generates state rankings and grades, analyzes race-based disparities, and includes specific recommendations for state action to improve women’s health.