The chances for Medicaid expansion in Virginia crept up Thursday when a key Republican lawmaker from Southwest Virginia announced his support for the plan.
Terry Kilgore is a prominent conservative in Virginia politics. Speaking on the John Fredericks Show, he says he now supports expanding the health insurance program for the poor, known as Medicaid, if Virginia includes work requirements.
“And this is one way we can help those hard working Virginians make ends meet and get some insurance coverage,” Kilgore said.
Republicans in Virginia have long been opposed to expanding the Medicaid program to include poor adults. But now that they hold only a 51 to 49 majority in the House of Delegates it would take just a couple defections for expansion to pass.
“As Republicans, we got to quit being the party of no, John,” Kilgore told Fredericks, a conservative talk show host. “We’ve got to be able to come up with practical solutions to these problems.”
In an op-ed written for the Roanoke Times, Kilgore links his support to wanting to help his constituents in southwest Virginia.
“Opportunities for new jobs and economic revitalization are appearing,” Kilgore writes. “We need a health workforce to seize those opportunities and to rebuild our communities.”
Kilgore told Fredericks that while he may be the first Republican in the House to announce support for expansion, he doesn’t think he’ll be the last.
Kilgore cited a waiver that Kentucky had recently received from the Trump administration, allowing the state to institute work requirements for those who receive the healthcare benefits. Under the Obama administration similar requests were denied.
A bill that would restructure Virginia’s existing Medicaid program so able-bodied recipients must either work, go to school, or engage in community service has been passed by the House and is now being considered by the Senate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnhaoUoHHOQ
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
