Republican State Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant’s SB 915, which represents an important step towards recognizing the need to close the coverage gap and extending healthcare coverage to nearly 400,000 uninsured Virginians, unanimously passed the State Senate on Tuesday.
Said Sen. George Barker (D-Fairfax), “This is the right path toward meeting the needs of more Virginians and to eliminate waiting times for those in need. The best way to find the monies to do this is going to be to expand Medicaid, and we look forward to continuing that conversation in the coming days and weeks.”
Said Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke (D-Hampton), “We have been working on these priorities for many years and we are pleased to stand in support of this measure, but this is an aspirational bill. We are pleased that there is consensus on these priorities; now we just need to come together to fund them.”
Said Senate Democratic Leader Dick Saslaw (D-Fairax), “Nearly 400,000 Virginians — 11,000 of whom are in my district — currently lack access to quality, affordable healthcare. Closing the coverage gap has been Senate Democrats’ number one priority for the past several years and we are encouraged that we are having this conversation. Now, to the budget.”
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