Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton comments on the General Assembly vote approving Medicaid expansion.
“Today, the Commonwealth took an important step on behalf of many Virginians. In completing its work on the state budget, the General Assembly is fulfilling its duty to fund a wide range of essential public services on which millions of citizens rely. The budget’s inclusion of a bipartisan compromise plan to draw down available federal funds to help hundreds of thousands of hard-working, uninsured Virginians gain health care coverage will promote public health improvements, job growth, economic vitality, and strengthen our health delivery system. Reaching this point has taken years of hard work and considerable effort by many elected leaders, stakeholders, advocates, and everyday Virginians who each made valuable contributions in support of increased coverage. Members of Virginia’s hospital community extend sincere thanks to all those who have been instrumental in this effort. In particular, we offer our gratitude to House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Chris Jones, Senate Finance Committee Co-Chairman Emmett Hanger, Governor Ralph Northam, Senate Minority Leader Dick Saslaw, Senator Frank Wagner, Senator Ben Chafin, Senator Jill Vogel, House Minority Leader David Toscano, and the dozens of other individual Senators and Delegates from both parties who supported the compromise budget. Just as the hospital community has been a consistent partner with the state to achieve a compromise coverage plan, our members pledge continued support to the Commonwealth as we work together to implement coverage expansion here as part of the ongoing work to make Virginia the healthiest state in the nation.”
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