Virginia House Members: No Medicaid Expansion This Year

Senior members of Virginia's House of Delegates have dismissed the idea of expanding the state's Medicaid program this year, according to a report from The Washington Post.

House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) told the Post expansion is "not going to happen this year," according to the report. 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 Terry McAuliffe (D) replaced Bob McDonnell (R) as governor, 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.

The District of Columbia and 26 states have opted to expand their Medicaid programs this year, while Indiana and Pennsylvania are looking into expansion after 2014.

Although Gov. McAuliffe has said he would welcome a Medicaid audit, he also said it shouldn't be used as an excuse not to expand the program to hundreds of thousands of Virginians, according to the report.

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