The writing on the wall was accurate- Virginia’s General Assembly voted today to expand Medicaid.
But here’s the kicker; an amendment to the budget outlined a “kill switch” should Medicaid become too costly and/or the federal government stops paying their share. Sen. Steve Newman from Bedford offered this important amendment in a package, Amendments 12B, 13B, and 14B. Sen. Emmett Hanger from Delusion spoke against it and encouraged the body to vote against it. Hanger said there is a “kill switch,” but did not offer any details. Newman argued the “kill switch” is flawed. Newman’s amendment was a reasonable safeguard.
The amendment failed on a vote of 21 to 19. Unbelievable.
That means Virginia passed the most radical liberal, crazy left wing, version of Medicaid possible. There are hardly any safeguards, little oversight, and no idea of how many new enrollees the program will take. That is recklessly irresponsible.
So Emmett Hanger voted for Medicaid expansion and against safeguards. He really likes the budget bill. Let’s vote him out in 2019.
Here is a picture of the vote for the overall budget, which includes Medicaid expansion.
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