Virginia Consumer Healthcare Alliance lays out legislative priorities

The Virginia Consumer Healthcare Alliance, a consumer advocacy organization of people, businesses, and healthcare groups focused on finding common sense policy solutions to support access to high-quality, affordable healthcare for all Virginians no matter where you live, announced their legislative priorities for the 2018 General Assembly Session this week.

Chairman Chris Saxman laid the foundation for the VHCA’s advocacy work.

This week marks the start of the 2018 Virginia General Assembly session. Legislators from across the Commonwealth are scheduled to spend 60 days in Richmond working to find solutions and compromise on some of today’s most pressing public policy issues. Going into the session, we expect that healthcare will attract a lot of attention and be the focus of serious and substantive deliberations, and that’s why I’m writing to you today.

Here at the Alliance, our priorities are clear. We want to help facilitate a constructive dialogue about healthcare across the Commonwealth that includes the voices of everyday citizens as elected officials consider policies with the potential to impact your life and the health of you and your loved ones. Your voice matters in the process of improving the health care system we all use.

Healthcare, like the world around us, is rapidly changing. What remains constant is that at some point in our lives we all will need medical treatment. And when we do, we want that care to be top quality, affordable, and delivered by well-trained, dedicated professionals who care about patients as people. Throughout last year as Congress evaluated sweeping healthcare policy changes, and again in the November elections, people across the nation and in Virginia clearly said that healthcare is their top concern. As the 2018 Virginia legislative session begins, the Alliance is here to be a platform for Virginians to share their views with elected officials considering healthcare policy legislation. Over the next 60 days, we will be an information resource about what’s happening with healthcare at the General Assembly. And we will offer VCHA members and the public a chance to share your views on healthcare with elected officials. Going into the session, here are some key priorities we’ll be focused on:

• Efforts to ensure all Virginians have the opportunity to access affordable, quality healthcare in their home communities.
• Improvements to our healthcare system so that it works for all Virginians, everywhere.
• Continued work to respond to community mental health needs and the opioid crisis.
• Emphasizing healthcare quality and affordability.