Virginia Senate Republicans just torpedoed the states Medicaid expansion

[turbinetree]

Last edited Thu Feb 22, 2018, 06:02 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Think Progress

Just four months ago, Virginia’s gubernatorial race saw historic voter turnout — as casting ballots at the time meant extending Medicaid coverage to 400,000 people. On Thursday, voting paid off.

Virginia is currently one of 18 states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) despite a majority of residents’ support. But the state is inching closer to expanding Medicaid insurance: The Republican-controlled House on Thursday overwhelming voted for Medicaid expansion, in a 69-to-31 vote. Notably, 20 Republicans signed onto Medicaid expansion, after rejecting it for years:


-snip-

But just down the hall, the Senate torpedoed efforts to expand Medicaid, at least for now. The Senate GOP rejected an effort to add the House’s Medicaid expansion plan to its budget, in a 21-to-19 vote.



Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/virginia-senate-republicans-just-torpedoed-the-states-medicaid-expansion-99c6680cb4c2/

[leftieNanner]

1. I think your title is backwards

"torpedoed" means that they got rid of it, not that they supported it.

Certainly good news, though.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Virginia has a bicameral legislature.

The House is the House of Delegates.

The Senate is ... the Senate.

House budget with Medicaid expansion passes 69-31

Link to tweet

As for the Senate....

Retweeted by the VA Senate Democrats: https://twitter.com/vasenatedems

Senate vote on Senator Howell's motion to expand Medicaid

Link to tweet

[leftieNanner]

6. My mistake

I first understood that they had passed the Medicaid expansion. But that was just the house. And then the Senate TORPEDOED it!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

8. Yes. The OP has been edited to include that explanatory information. NT

[riversedge]

2. That headline made me think, the repugs had blown up medicaid expansion. But

congrats to the Virginians.

[lostnfound]

9. Headline is correct. Virginia Senate voted-it down Nt

[Stonepounder]

4. Needed to include the next paragraph, since the Title IS correct:

But just down the hall, the Senate torpedoed efforts to expand Medicaid, at least for now. The Senate GOP rejected an effort to add the House’s Medicaid expansion plan to its budget, in a 21-to-19 vote.

What I think of the GOP cannot be printed here.

[djacq]

5. ThinkProgress has the title ALL WRONG

If you look at the document that’s up on the website, Medicaid Expansion passed.

Citizen of VA-05

[leftieNanner]

7. Passed by the House,

but not by the Senate

[BumRushDaShow]

10. I thought the ACA also has a provision whereby the governor can expand anyway

despite the legislature. I think that is what happened in KY with Bershear (and once his term was up, his successor has been shuffling around attempting to dismantle it). And I *know* that happened here in PA, where Gov. Wolf (D) DID do the full expansion of Medicaid once he got elected and despite the GOP legislature. Whereas our previous GOP governor - Corbett - had enacted some convoluted alternate Medicaid plan.