The right choice for Virginia

The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The expansion of Medicaid in 2014, made possible by federal health care reform, would be a lifesaver for hundreds of thousands of Virginians, a real bargain for the Commonwealth, and a much needed boost to Virginia's economy, according to a new report released today by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. 'If our state doesn't implement the Medicaid expansion, it will not only forego tens of billions in federal funding and create a stunning new gap in coverage for hundreds of thousands of Virginians, but it will also go against Virginia's history of timely implementation of previous public health insurance expansions,' said Michael Cassidy, the Institute's President and CEO."

Progressive Point: Our political system is broken when our leaders feel comfortable hurting our economy and failing to cover hundreds of thousands Virginians just for the sake of their partisan priorities. Gov. McDonnell staying on the sidelines on Medicaid hurts our hospitals, passes up on tens of billions of dollars in federal funding, and leaves over 400,000 eligible Virginians without coverage.

Our elected officials need to set aside politics and put the needs of Virginians first. Failure to act on implementing Medicaid expansion for Virginia is both a costly human and a costly economic mistake for Virginia that our families and businesses cannot afford to bare. Dragging his feet on implementing sorely needed health care reform may score political points with wealthy donors, but it doesn't help working Virginians. McDonnell making the right choice on Medicaid is the making right choice for our families, our economy, and for Virginia.