House Republican leaders comment on McAuliffe Medicaid expansion proposal

Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), Speaker-designee M. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), Majority Leader-designee C. Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah), Republican Caucus Chairman Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax), and House Majority Whip Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas) released the following statement Monday on Governor McAuliffe’s Medicaid Expansion proposal.

“The House Republican majority remains strongly opposed to implementing ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion in Virginia. We rejected expansion in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and again in 2017 because it was the wrong policy for the Commonwealth. The lack of action in Washington has not changed that and in fact, the uncertainty of federal health policy underscores the need to be cautious over the long term. This is a very complex issue with many moving parts. It would be irresponsible to rush Medicaid expansion like Congress rushed ObamaCare.

“Evidence in other states continues to show that Virginia’s decision not to expand Medicaid is the right decision. Nearly every state that expanded Medicaid saw higher than projected enrollment which in some cases led to large budget deficits. Virginia can barely afford our current program, much less an expansion. Every dollar spent on Medicaid is one less that can be spent on education, transportation, or public safety. Every federal dollar not spent on expanding a broken program is a dollar not borrowed from future generations. Betting the fiscal future of the Commonwealth on an I.O.U. from Washington is a bad idea.

“The House and Senate rejected a similar amendment to what Governor McAuliffe is proposing during the 2017 regular session. The House will reject the Governor’s amendment when we reconvene on April 5 and ensure that Virginia does not expand Medicaid under ObamaCare.”