Results tagged “Health Care”

May 3, 2013

The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Starting October 1, over 620,000 low-to-moderate-income Virginians will have new options to find out how to  access  quality, affordable health insurance, according to a recent report from Families USA, a national nonprofit group that promotes expanded access to health care. And a whopping 88 percent of them come from families where at least one family member is employed. The help will come from the new health insurance exchange - a marketplace for private insurance plans and consumers - being set up under the Affordable Care Act."

Progressive Point: In America, people who work for a living ought to be able to take their sick kids to the doctor and know that no insurance company will get away with ripping them off. The health care law is saving lives and money. Later this year over 600,000 more Virginians will have badly needed help to find and pay for quality health insurance.

The health care law guarantees your coverage for life - whether you're a senior with Medicare, you have a pre-existing condition or you get a costly illness. Expanding health coverage to more children and working adults means saving money, saving lives, and a stronger and healthier Commonwealth. Virginians need the security of knowing that when they get sick, they can see a doctor without an enormous bill once they've gotten well - and thanks to Obamacare later this year more of our families will have that security.

Get the Facts:

• Via the Commonwealth Institute:
  • "Open enrollment is scheduled to begin in October for coverage that will start in January 2014. In addition to helping consumers find coverage, however, the exchange is also set up to help people pay for coverage. Tax credits are available to people with incomes between 100 percent and 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) - about $19,530 and $78,120, respectively, for a family of three."
  
  
  • "Individuals who make $11,490 per year (100 percent of FPL) will generally be expected to pay no more than two percent of their income - about $230 per year for a health plan with an annual premium of $5,000. That works out to less than $20 per month for health insurance. That means their credit is worth $4,770. At the other end of the spectrum, individuals who make $45,960 per year (400 percent FPL), would receive a credit of $630 on the same plan. That leaves them paying $4,370 per year or $364 a month - 9.5 percent of their income."



• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)


• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Obamacare means new health care opportunities for over 600,000 Virginians http://bit.ly/112CPZV @ProgressVA

April 11, 2013

The Roanoke Times reports, "The number of Virginians covered by health insurance through an employer declined by nearly 10 percent over the past decade, according to a report released this week... 'When less people are insured, there is a burden on the system,' said Sandra Cook, chairwoman of Virginia Organizing, a grass-roots group that is supporting the implementation of the new federal health care law. 'Thankfully, the Affordable Care Act offered some provisions for lessening that burden, particularly Medicaid expansion,' Cook said."

Progressive Point: In America, people who work for a living ought to be able to take their sick kids to the doctor and know that no insurance company will get away with ripping them off. The health care law guarantees Virginians coverage for life - whether you're a senior with Medicare, you have a pre-existing condition or you get a costly illness. That means you won't end up in an emergency room just because you can't get insurance or live in fear of losing your family's health coverage if you lose your job.

In other states, Republican governors are implementing the health law because they know what's best for the people of their states. Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare: knowing we can get medical attention when we need it, without worrying about if it will prevent us from putting food on the table. Our families cannot afford for health security to take a backseat to political ambitions any longer.

Get the Facts:

• Virginians covered by employer health insurance has dropped by nearly 10% in the last 10 years - down to 65.6% in 2011 from 75.2% in 2000. "Nationwide, the number of Americans covered by employer-sponsored insurance declined by 11.5 million over the past decade." (Roanoke Times, April 11, 2013)


• In Virginia, Obamacare could expand Medicaid to cover 400,000 of the state's 1 million uninsured people. "For the first three years, the feds would foot 100 percent of the bill for these newly insured people, with the federal share declining to 90 percent in 2020." (Washington Post, March 4, 2013)


• Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Virginia families' need for affordable health care coverage now is growing http://bit.ly/10ZNgJA via @ProgressVA

March 28, 2013

Talking Points Memo reports, "Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli's (R) habit of invoking the abolitionist movement in discussing his opposition to President Obama's health care policy is attracting the ire of the local NAACP. 'This comparison of states' refusal to comply with the law and the return of human beings to unholy bondage is offensive to our nation's history and experience. It is unhealthy and absolutely inappropriate,' Dr. Kim Allen, president of the Richmond NAACP, told reporters in a conference call on Wednesday. Noting that the NAACP supports the ACA, Allen described Cuccinelli's comments as 'an affront to thousands upon thousands of African-Americans of our commonwealth who have died due to the disparities in our health care system.'"

Progressive Point: Our belief that all men and women are created equal and possess the basic inalienable right to life, liberty, and happiness is central to what it means to be an American. Because of that, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's repeated remarks comparing his right-wing crusade against women's health and implementation of Obamacare to the abolition of slavery are more than ignorant and offensive. They are an affront to the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who benefit from access to comprehensive care and an affront to the men and women who fought for freedom from the unholy institution of slavery.

Ken Cuccinelli has shamefully suggested his fight against the implementation of Obamacare carries on the legacy of states resisting fugitive slave laws. His conservative campaign against affordable contraception doesn't compare to, it flies in the face of, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s lifetime of advocacy for civil rights. Cuccinelli's right-wing political crusade to block Virginia families' access to affordable, quality, comprehensive health care and deny Virginians' basic rights are absolutely contrary to the values that drove the abolition of slavery.

Get the Facts:

• On video over the summer, Ken Cuccinelli compared his battle "to ban abortion rights to the battle to end slavery." (WJLA - VIDEO, March 19, 2013)


• On Martin Luther King Day this year, Ken Cuccinelli compared "his fight against the federal requirement that birth control be offered with no copay by insurance plans to King's fight for equal rights for African Americans." (Talking Point Memo, Jan. 22, 2013)


• "Cuccinelli suggested in a meeting of the Republican Attorney General Association that it would be difficult for the federal government to compel states to obey the ACA if they decided to ignore it as an act of civil disobedience. He cited state resistance to the Alien And Sedition Acts and the fugitive slave laws as a model." (Talking Points Memo, Mar. 27, 2013)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Cuccinelli's crusade is contrary to the values that drove the abolition of slavery http://bit.ly/Zrs0sg via @ProgressVA

March 25, 2013

The Roanoke Times reports, "Millions of Americans will finally have access to adequate medical care next year under an expansion of the government-funded Medicaid insurance program. As Virginia leaders debate whether to participate, it's disheartening that House Speaker Bill Howell is spreading misinformation that could frighten needy families, including those who already qualify, into opting out of the program. In a column last week on the conservative blog Bearing Drift, Howell argues that 'uninsured people are receiving better care than people on Medicaid.' It's a shocking statement, particularly given the fact that a majority of current Medicaid recipients are children. Does Howell really believe that more than 600,000 children in Virginia would be better off treating their ear aches, asthma and broken bones at free clinics and emergency rooms?"

Progressive Point: Expanding health coverage to more children and working adults means saving money, saving lives, and a stronger and healthier Commonwealth. But conservative lawmakers like Speaker Bill Howell are continuing to block and mislead on new Medicaid coverage that would mean coverage for over 400,000 uninsured Virginians who need it now.

In other states, Republican governors are implementing the health law because they know what's best for the people of their states. But here in our Commonwealth, conservatives continue to throw up roadblocks -- putting thousands of Virginians one car accident or heart attack away from financial ruin, if they can get care at all. Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare: knowing we can get medical attention when we need it, without worrying about if it will prevent us from putting food on the table. Our families cannot afford for health security to take a backseat to political ambitions any longer.

Get the Facts:

• In Virginia, Obamacare could expand Medicaid to cover 400,000 of the state's 1 million uninsured people. "For the first three years, the feds would foot 100 percent of the bill for these newly insured people, with the federal share declining to 90 percent in 2020." (Washington Post, March 4, 2013)


• Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Speaker Howell misleads on Medicaid http://bit.ly/YAkaQZ via @ProgressVA

March 12, 2013

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Unintended consequences have come due for state agencies and local governments that have used part-time employees to regularly work more than 30 hours a week. For the first time, government employers will have to either provide health insurance benefits to those workers or cut back the part-time hours to fewer than 30 hours a week to comply with the Affordable Care Act... The decision facing Gov. Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly about how to treat employees working between 30 and 40 hours a week came down to money."

Progressive Point: We need an economy that works for all Virginians, and budget priorities that get us there. Richmond conservatives are still protecting corporate welfare handouts that cost taxpayers over $1B a year while refusing to spend less than a tenth that amount to provide state workers affordable health coverage.

Refusing to ask corporations to pay their fair share is just cowardly. Courage is standing up to big corporations and for working families, and that's the one thing Richmond conservatives won't do. They would rather increase health care costs for our state workers so they can keep funneling taxpayer dollars into the pockets of the big companies who fund their campaigns. If we want to fix Virginia's budget problems asking corporations to pay their fair share is the first step.

Get the Facts: Share on Facebook:

• "The decision facing Gov. Bob McDonnell and the General Assembly about how to treat employees working between 30 and 40 hours a week came down to money. If the state assumed that 10,000 wage employees would have to be offered health insurance, the bill would range from $61 million to $110 million a year, depending on whether employees' families also would be covered." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, March 11, 2013)


• Via the New York Times:
  • Virginia spends at least $1.29 billion per year on incentive programs, according to the most recent data available. That is roughly:
    • $161 per capita
    • 8¢ per dollar of state budget
  • Top Incentives by type
    1. $1.14 billion in Sales tax refund, exemptions or other sales tax discounts
    2. $79.9 million in Cash grant, loan or loan guarantee
    3. $50.3 million in Corporate income tax credit, rebate or reduction
  • Top Incentives by industry
    1. $917 million in Manufacturing
    2. $129 million in Agriculture
    3. $72.3 million in Oil, gas, mining

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Conservative priorities: corporate welfare over healthy families http://bit.ly/ZGiS4U via @ProgressVA

March 5, 2013

The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Gov. Robert M. McDonnell (R), under attack by his erstwhile conservative allies for having overseen the enactment of a desperately needed tax increase for transportation, is trying to protect his right flank by vowing not to permit any expansion of Medicaid while he is governor. We salute Mr. McDonnell for his guts on the transportation bill, but on Medicaid he is posturing. Even under the most aggressive scenario, the state would not be in a position to expand Medicaid before July 2014 -- six months after Mr. McDonnell leaves office.

Progressive Point: Expanding health coverage to more children and working adults means saving money, saving lives, and a stronger and healthier Commonwealth. Obamacare benefits will do just that right here in Virginia. It's time for Gov. McDonnell to move forward with implementing Obamacare and make our health care system better for everyone.

Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare: knowing we can get medical attention when we need it, without worrying about if it will prevent us from putting food on the table. But instead, McDonnell has wasted two years of time, planning, and money. Our families cannot afford their health being placed behind while McDonnell and conservatives in Richmond put their political ambitions ahead.

Get the Facts:

• In Virginia, Obamacare could expand Medicaid to cover 400,000 of the state's 1 million uninsured people. "For the first three years, the feds would foot 100 percent of the bill for these newly insured people, with the federal share declining to 90 percent in 2020." (Washington Post, March 4, 2013)


• Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)


• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Obstructing Medicaid Expansion http://bit.ly/WMBILO via @ProgressVA

February 21, 2013

Progressive Point: Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to those in Florida and in every other state under Obamacare. But Bob McDonnell is headed in the wrong direction and is insisting on denying 400,000 Virginians coverage. It's time to move forward with implementing Obamacare and make our health care system better for everyone.

Expanding health coverage to more children and working adults means saving money, saving lives, and a stronger and healthier Commonwealth. But instead, Bob McDonnell has wasted two years of time, planning, and money. Virginians have made clear that we don't support an extreme, right-wing agenda. McDonnell needs to follow Gov. Scott's lead and get back to work and focus on expanding health care access and opportunity.

Get the Facts:

• Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• Not adopting health care reform this General Assembly session and "[d]elaying expansion after Jan. 1 would cost Virginia an estimated $5 million a day in federal spending and $400,000 a day in state-budget savings." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 7, 2013)


• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)

• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Bob McDonnell should follow Gov. Scott's lead and expand health care access http://bit.ly/13nrui0 via @ProgressVA

February 7, 2013

The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The budgets released by the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees on Feb. 3 both include proposals to delay expanding Medicaid until at least mid-2014. But the federal government's deal to pay for 100 percent of the cost of expanded starts on January 1, 2014. Each day that Virginia delays expansion means that the state will lose about $5 million in federal funds and hundreds of thousands more in lost state budget savings and lost tax revenue from the new jobs that would be created from the influx of federal funds. In addition to the state budget impacts, delaying Medicaid expansion will prevent nearly 400,000 uninsured Virginians from having access to quality, affordable health care. Here's a quick rundown of the costs of delay and the Virginians who will remain uninsured."

Progressive Point: Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare. We deserve better than lawmakers dragging their feet on implementing sorely needed health care reform. Closing the door on Medicaid extension may score political points with right-wing extremists, but it doesn't help working Virginians. 

Governor McDonnell staying on the sidelines on Medicaid hurts our hospitals, passes up tens of billions of dollars in federal funding, and leaves over 400,000 eligible Virginians without coverage. Virginians are fed up with politicians who would rather rehash old political fights instead of doing their jobs. It's time to move forward with implementing Obamacare, making our health care system better for everyone, and putting Virginians back to work.

Get the Facts:

• Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• Not adopting health care reform this General Assembly session and "[d]elaying expansion after Jan. 1 would cost Virginia an estimated $5 million a day in federal spending and $400,000 a day in state-budget savings." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 7, 2013)


• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three)." (The Commonwealth Institute, February 1, 2013)

• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Make the right choice on Medicaid today http://bit.ly/12wFytv via @ProgressVA

February 4, 2013

The Roanoke Times editorializes, "The most strident anti-abortionists never fail to twist a tragedy into a triumph for their cause. Last month, they marked the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by saying the massacre of 5-and 6-year-old school children at Sandy Hook Elementary School was nothing compared with the daily destruction of embryos at abortion clinics. A callous statement that would have been shocking if it weren't so numbingly ubiquitous. It would have been refreshing to hear instead that anti-abortionists were embracing the best chance yet to make abortion rare by supporting the expansion of Medicaid in Virginia to cover low-income working adults. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception."

Progressive Point: Virginia families deserve the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare: knowing we can get medical attention when we need it, without worrying about if it will prevent us from putting food on the table. But instead, conservatives in Richmond are going in the opposite direction and expanding their agenda to include not only limiting access to safe and legal abortion, but also preventing women from accessing basic reproductive health services.

Obamacare benefits will save money, improve health, and even cut death rates right here in Virginia. Our families cannot afford the health and financial costs of Governor McDonnell and conservatives in Richmond denying coverage and putting political ambitions first. Expanding health coverage to more children and adults means saving money, saving lives, and a stronger and healthier Commonwealth. Virginians have made clear that we don't support an extreme, right-wing agenda. It's time for our leaders to get back to work and focus on expanding health care access and opportunity instead of denying women their constitutionally-protected rights.

Get the Facts:

• Harmful legislation being pushed by conservatives this year includes a bill put forward by Del. Bob Marshall "to criminalize sex-selective abortions and to free businesses from providing contraceptive coverage" and another from Sen. Tom Garrett "which would eliminate state support for poor women to have an abortion when a doctor concludes the fetus would be born with an incapacitating disability." (Virginian-Pilot, January 9, 2013)


• Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers (TRAP) legislation, recently signed by Gov. McDonnell, singles out women's health centers that provide abortions and forces them to comply with hospital standards. No other outpatient clinic in Virginia, including those performing oral and cosmetic surgery, are forced to adhere to these standards. The underlying purpose is to force clinic closure by requiring unaffordable construction. (Washington Post, July 27, 2012)


• "Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia could receive $23 billion in federal aid to cover health care for the working poor. Women who cannot now afford birth control would receive reliable and effective contraception." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)


• "Researchers have found that when cost is not a barrier and women are educated on the different types of birth control, 58 percent of the women opted for IUDs and 17 percent for implants. This compared to just 8.5 percent of U.S. women who currently use either type. ACA's no-cost birth control will be a game-changer in preventing unwanted pregnancies and will lower the demand for abortion in ways even the most restrictive of laws cannot." (Roanoke Times, February 3, 2013)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Expand health coverage instead of partisan agendas http://bit.ly/WUqRMw via @ProgressVA

February 1, 2013

The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Military veterans and their families are among the Virginians who would benefit from the expansion of Medicaid called for in the Affordable Care Act and currently being considered by the Virginia General Assembly. Contrary to what many assume, veterans and their families often do not have automatic and easy access to Veterans Affairs (VA) health care despite their service to our country."

Progressive Point: Virginia's military families deserve the security of knowing that when a health disaster strikes, they can recover without the additional stress of an enormous financial cost. Virginians deserve the same health security offered to every other state. But conservative lawmakers are still dragging their feet on expanding Medicaid in our Commonwealth and putting politics before Virginians' health.

Instead of approving the expansion, Bob McDonnell and conservative politicians in Richmond have wasted two years of time, planning, and money--then asked for more time. Their recklessness and brinksmanship may be good for pandering to the Tea Party, but it's bad for the military families of Virginia without health insurance. It's time to move forward with health care for Virginia families.

Get the Facts: Via The Commonwealth Institute:

• In Virginia, about 34,000 veterans have no insurance and about 17,000 more report having only VA health care.


• About half of all uninsured veterans in Virginia and more than half of all VA only insured veterans could qualify for coverage under Medicaid expansion; meaning they had incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level in 2010 ($26,000 for a family of three).


• About 35 percent of veterans' family members are uninsured and report incomes below 138 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. That means an additional 7,800 veterans' family members in Virginia would be eligible for Medicaid, too.

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Virginia's military families deserve health security http://bit.ly/YpnvQV via @ProgressVA

December 13, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Eleven Republican governors, including Virginia's Bob McDonnell, Florida's Rick Scott, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Arizona's Jan Brewer want to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the federal health overhaul, including ways to make expanding the Medicaid rolls and setting up online health exchanges more affordable for states with tight budgets... 'The President and his team have met with state leaders for more than two and a half years,' said Erin Shields Britt, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services."

Progressive Point: Virginia needs leaders who focus on solutions, not ideology. Our families deserve the same health security offered to every other state. But Bob McDonnell is dragging his feet on implementing Obamacare. He's putting his political ambitions before Virginians' health.

Virginia families need the security of knowing that when disaster strikes, they can recover without the additional stress of an enormous financial cost. But instead of creating a health insurance marketplace designed specifically for Virginians, McDonnell wasted two years of time, planning, and money--then asked for more time. Bob McDonnell's recklessness and brinksmanship may be good for pandering to the Tea Party, but it's bad for the rest of Virginia.

Get the Facts:

• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: McDonnell still dragging his feet on health care http://bit.ly/TX7hxY via @ProgressVA

November 20, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reports, "President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement appears here to stay. That means the federal overhaul of health care insurance will proceed, despite Republicans' hopes to the contrary. It also means that in 2014 Virginia likely will be served by a federal health insurance exchange, because Gov. Bob McDonnell spent months sitting on his hands rather than working to create a state-based marketplace. The exchanges are a critical component of the Affordable Care Act's goal to make health insurance more affordable and more widely available."

Progressive Point: Our elected leaders will be judged for their actions and what they stand for. In this economy, we should be investing more in cost-efficient programs to secure our retirement and health care. But instead of creating a health insurance marketplace designed specifically for Virginians, Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time, planning, and money--and then asked for more time.

McDonnell sat on his hands and hoped his political allies would overturn the law so he wouldn't have to act. Virginians are fed up with politicians who would rather rehash old political fights instead of doing their jobs. It's time to move forward with implementing Obamacare, making our health care system better for everyone, and putting Americans back to work.

Get the Facts:

• Governor McDonnell wasted two years of time and planning by the Virginia Health Reform Initiative Advisory Council, which he appointed, along with a $1 million grant from the federal government. "The resulting legislative proposals languished in the General Assembly at McDonnell's request." (Virginian-Pilot, November 20, 2012)


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 million in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: McDonnell wasted two years of time, planning, and money http://bit.ly/T9SFZl via @ProgressVA

November 15, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reports, "On behalf of his fellow Republican governors, Virginia's Bob McDonnell is asking for a federal extension ahead of Friday's deadline for states to say whether they'll set up their own health benefits exchange under the health care act. McDonnell and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, in Las Vegas for Republican Governors Association meetings, made that appeal Wednesday in a joint letter to President Barack Obama."

Progressive Point: Virginians need the same health security offered to every other state under Obamacare. Bob McDonnell has dragged his feet and played politics with our health care. Now he's threatening to reject coverage for thousands of Virginia families.

Obamacare has been the law of the land for two years but McDonnell has refused to make plans. Instead, he hoped his right-wing allies could engineer a repeal and waited with his head in the sand. It's time to move forward with implementing the law but McDonnell is still trying to play politics. Virginia families deserve the health security guaranteed in Obamacare.

Get the Facts:

• Via the Daily Press:
  • "The number of uninsured Virginians has dropped below 1 million."
  
  
  • "The percentage of those with employer-sponsored coverage increased more than 10 percent in 2011, resulting in more than 41,000 having private workplace insurance."
  
  
  • "The number of uninsured children, age 18 and under, also dropped dramatically, from nearly 11 percent in 2010 to just under 6 percent in 2011."


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)


• Under the Affordable Care Act, Virginia has to decide by Nov. 16 if it will set up its own state-based health care exchange or use an exchange established and operated by the federal government. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 29, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: McDonnell still putting politics ahead of health care http://bit.ly/UIHHJZ via @ProgressVA

November 13, 2012

Virginia Public Radio reports, "A coalition of Virginia advocacy organizations and labor unions is calling on U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire for those making more than $250,000.00. The members sent a letter asking for action during the lame-duck session before the new Congress is sworn in and scheduled sequestration cuts take effect.... [T]he group believes the tax hikes would help prevent cuts to services that include Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security."

Progressive Point: The best way to fix our country's financial problems and secure our future is to put Americans back to work. Instead of creating jobs, politicians protecting tax giveaways for the wealthy would steal Social Security checks from our seniors who've paid into it their whole working lives and slash the health care they depend on.

It's cowardly to take from our nation's seniors to protect tax giveaways for millionaire CEOs and oil companies. We can and should take steps to make sure Medicare and Social Security are guaranteed even longer into the future. We can start saving money right now by eliminating tax giveaways for millionaires and big corporations that cost us hundreds of billions every year and put us in this hole in the first place.

Get the Facts:

• Two-thirds of Americans support raising taxes on incomes over $250,000 -- that is, the richest 2%. (Pew Research Center, October 12, 2012)


• Over 80% of Americans oppose cutting Social Security benefits, even to help reduce the budget deficit. Over 75% of Americans oppose cutting Medicare benefits, even to help reduce the budget deficit. (Washington Post, August, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Seniors have earned their health care and financial security http://bit.ly/ZD5Gic via @ProgressVA

November 8, 2012

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell acknowledges that with the re-election of President Barack Obama, federal health care reform no longer can be stopped in Virginia, but he remains unwilling to expand the state's Medicaid program or establish a state-based health insurance exchange without more certainty about the costs. Faced with a Nov. 16 deadline to decide what kind of exchange to establish in Virginia, McDonnell said he would default to a federal exchange with the understanding that the state could change course later."

Progressive Point: Virginians need the security of knowing that when they get sick, they can see a doctor without an enormous bill once they've gotten well. More than 400,000 Virginians qualify for low-cost health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, but Bob McDonnell is still dragging his feet and playing politics with health care and threatening to reject coverage for thousands of Virginia families.

We all save money when folks use health insurance and preventative care instead of showing up in the emergency room. Obamacare has been the law of the land for two years but Bob McDonnell has refused to make plans, instead hoping his right-wing allies could engineer a repeal. Now it's time to move forward with implementing the law but McDonnell is threatening to turn down coverage in order to advance his own political agendas. Virginians need the security of knowing that when disaster strikes, they can recover without the additional stress of an enormous financial cost. It's time to move forward with health care for Virginia families.

Get the Facts:

• Via the Daily Press:
  • "The number of uninsured Virginians has dropped below 1 million."
  
  
  • "The percentage of those with employer-sponsored coverage increased more than 10 percent in 2011, resulting in more than 41,000 having private workplace insurance."
  
  
  • "The number of uninsured children, age 18 and under, also dropped dramatically, from nearly 11 percent in 2010 to just under 6 percent in 2011."


• The Affordable Care Act will replace current Medicaid payments to hospitals who cover low-income patients to help cover the cost of caring for the uninsured with the new Medicaid eligibility expansion. If Gov. McDonnell passes on Virginia's participation in that expansion it could cost Virginia more that $140 million in just seven years. In 2011, Virginia hospitals received over $87.7 in these payments. (The Commonwealth Institute, July 17, 2012)


• McDonnell's failure to implement the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act would cost more than 400,000 uninsured Virginians health care coverage that would be fully funded by the federal government for 3 years and and 90 percent funded thereafter. (Virginian-Pilot, July 12, 2012)


• Under the Affordable Care Act, Virginia has to decide by Nov. 16 if it will set up its own state-based health care exchange or use an exchange established and operated by the federal government. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 29, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: It's time to move forward on health care http://bit.ly/Z7bj8h via @ProgressVA

October 11, 2012

PolitiFact ranks George Allen's claim that repealing Obamacare will save $1 trillion FALSE: "In Monday night's debate, he and Democratic candidate Tim Kaine were asked how they would avoid $1 trillion in automatic cuts split evenly between defense and domestic programs that are scheduled to begin Jan. 2... Allen's plan included a big-ticket item. 'Repealing and replacing Obamacare -- that's going to save $1 trillion over a 10-year period,' he said... We rate Allen's claim False."

Progressive Point: Virginians are fed up with politicians like George Allen trying to rehash old political fights and falsehoods instead of focusing on real fixes for our economy. Obamacare is making a real difference already for our families and making health care more secure for 250 million Americans. Insurance companies can't rip us off any more and people with pre-existing conditions are guaranteed coverage--saving Virginia families money every day.

It's no wonder most Americans think Obamacare improved our health care system and want conservatives in Congress to move on. But politicians like George Allen just can't let it go. They'd rather Congressional conservatives keep wasting taxpayer time and money attacking the law and hoping no one notices that repealing Obamacare would let them go back to receiving the special lifetime benefits the rest of us can't get. It's time to move forward with Obamacare, making our health care system better for everyone, and putting Virginians back to work.

Get the Facts:

• Repealing the Affordable Care Act would mean higher Medicare premiums, higher costs for wellness visits, and higher prescription drug prices. (Washington Post, September 16, 2012)


• "Repealing the health law also would have an impact on Medicare's 'doughnut hole,' the gap between Medicare's regular and catastrophic drug coverage, in which seniors are responsible for footing the bill. The average senior who falls into this space spends $604 on prescription drugs."(Washington Post, September 16, 2012)


• Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies are required to spend 80% of premiums on medical care. For Virginia this means $43 million in rebates, for nearly 687,000 Virginians, who are receiving $115 eachon average. (Roanoke Times, August 7, 2012)


• Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan would force seniors in the state to pay at least $639 more for their prescrip­tion drugs each year. At the same time, the Romney-Ryan plan to turn Medicare into a voucher system would cost current seniors at least $11,000 more in out-of-pocket expenses. (The Real Cost of the Romney-Ryan Plan to Virginians, October 2, 2012)


• Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan would once again allow insurance companies to charge women more than men while taking away preventive care from at least 1,376,205 women in the state. (The Real Cost of the Romney-Ryan Plan to Virginians, October 2, 2012)


• Gov. Romney and Rep. Ryan promise to dismantle Obamacare, which would directly result in 66,000 young adults in Virginia losing the insurance they have today due to the Affordable Care Act. (The Real Cost of the Romney-Ryan Plan to Virginians, October 2, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: George Allen called out on continuing false claims http://bit.ly/VUPiuf via @ProgressVA

October 5, 2012

The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Del. Bob Marshall wants to free businesses from providing contraception coverage, a move that could limit access to the drugs through employer-backed health plans. Legislation that the Prince William County Republican has filed for the 2013 General Assembly session seeks to undermine a requirement in the Affordable Care Act that employers provide such coverage. In effect, Marshall's HB1314 and 1315 would give employers the option not to cover birth control pills, sterilization procedures or the morning-after pill."

Progressive Point: From personhood to vaginal probes to limiting contraception access, Virginia Republicans just can't seem to stop substituting their judgment for that of a woman and her doctor. Family planning decisions should be made by families. Politicians have no business inserting themselves into parents' decisions about when and how many kids to have.

Under President Obama's policy, women will get access to free birth control no matter where they work and no religious organization will be required to pay for it. Yet conservative politicians like Bob Marshall are actually proposing that any corporation should be able to deny any health service, whether contraception or any other basic care, to anyone who works for them for any reason. We can respect both religious liberty and women's health OR start letting corporations prevent parents from deciding when and how many kids to have.

Get the Facts:

• Bob Marshall's HB1315 would prohibit private insurers from offering policies that provide coverage for contraception unless it's specifically requested by the enrollee. (Virginian-Pilot, October 5, 2012)


• 99% of women use contraception at some time in their lives (Guttmacher Institute, July, 2012)


• More than half of women between 18 and 34 years old have struggled to afford contraception (Planned Parenthood, October, 12, 2010)


• Studies show that more than half of women taking oral contraceptives are using them to treat other health issues rather than prevent pregnancy (Guttmacher Institute, November 15, 2011)


• 61% of Americans support federally-mandated contraception coverage (CBS News, February 14, 2012)

Forward to a Friend via email

Share on Facebook

Tweet it: Conservatives can't stop trying to take away women's rights http://bit.ly/SBUpNa via @ProgressVA