(Good for Aneesh for calling out this jerk. – promoted by lowkell)
By Aneesh Chopra
It’s more important than ever to expand access to Medicaid in Virginia. We must get this done. Governor McDonnell’s March 5th letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is a troubling sign for what many thought was a deal on Medicaid expansion.
“Some media outlets and elected officials have labeled this as approving Medicaid expansion in Virginia,” wrote McDonnell in the letter. “This is absolutely incorrect.”
It’s time for Democrats and Republicans to come together and renew the pressure on the Governor to expand Medicaid. It’s too important to let this opportunity slip away. We can’t let partisan extremists put the health of hundreds of thousands of Virginians at risk.
An example of this extremism came today when Republican Lieutenant Governor candidate Pete Snyder claimed that “it's actually better to be uninsured than to be on Medicaid.” This claim is simply not true, and shows the lengths to which the current field of candidates will go to push their agenda.
The truth is that expanding Medicaid means 300,000 fewer uninsured Virginians — a reduction of more than 37%. It also means those 300,000 people would gain access to preventative care. That access will not only improve people's quality of lives, it also will save lives.
We need leaders who will put the health of Virginians ahead of partisan agendas. That’s how we will move the Commonwealth forward and that’s what I will do as Lieutenant Governor.
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