Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe is widely thought to be considering executive action to enact Medicaid expansion in Virginia, according to a report from The New York Times.
State legislators are set to pass a budget that doesn't include Medicaid expansion after the resignation of a Democratic senator gave the Republicans a majority in the state senate, according to the report. Therefore, Gov. McAuliffe — who has pushed for and promised his supporters Medicaid expansion — is believed to be studying a way to bypass the state legislature. The governor's spokesman decline to comment on the matter, according to the report.
Earlier this year, House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) of Virginia told The Washington Post expansion is "not going to happen this year." Republican House members have said the federal government can't be trusted to fund the expansion long-term. Additionally, they have called for an outside audit of the state's Medicaid program.
After Gov. McAuliffe replaced Bob McDonnell (R) as governor, and Virginia hospitals had hoped the change in political leadership would lead to a reversal of the state's decision not to expand Medicaid to cover those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association has lobbied for expansion on the grounds that it would bring in crucial federal funding and help the state's 107 hospitals avoid losses.
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