With lawmakers blocking Medicaid expansion, Virginia governor scales back plan

Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, announced that as many as 25,000 Virginians would gain access to health coverage under his plan -- a fraction of the 400,000 who might have done so under the Medicaid expansion opposed by the Republican-controlled General Assembly.

The Washington Post: With Medicaid Expansion Blocked, McAuliffe Unveils Modest Plan To Insure More Virginians
McAuliffe outlined measures to provide health insurance to as many as 25,000 Virginians, just a fraction of those he had hoped to cover by expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The biggest change, covering 20,000 people with severe mental illness, will need funding approval from the General Assembly to continue past the current fiscal year. McAuliffe also offered proposals to improve care for people already in Medicaid and boost outreach efforts to those who qualify but are not enrolled (Vozzella and Portnoy, 9/8).

The New York Times: After First Plan Is Blocked, Virginia Governor Reduces Medicaid Expansion Goals
After fuming at state lawmakers and threatening unilateral action, Gov. Terry McAuliffe of Virginia took only modest steps on Monday to extend health care to the poor and disabled, retreating on the issue he has chosen to define his first eight months in office. Mr. McAuliffe, who in June ordered his cabinet to devise a plan for unilateral action by Sept. 1, in the face of what he called Republican "demagoguery" and "cowardice," announced that only 25,000 uninsured Virginians would be receiving coverage, far fewer than the 400,000 he has said are eligible if the state expands Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (Gabriel, 9/8).

The Associated Press: Va. Gov Proposes Limited Health Care Expansion
Virginia Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe has repeatedly promised to expand Medicaid eligibility for about 400,000 low-income adults using mostly federal funds during his eight-month old administration. But on Monday he acknowledged that his executive power only reaches so far (9/8).

Reuters: Virginia Governor Unveils More Modest Medicaid Expansion Plan
Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe proposed a plan on Monday to provide medical insurance for 25,000 uninsured Virginians, a move that falls short of his vow to expand coverage to 400,000 people despite Republican objections. McAuliffe said in June after losing a fight with the Republican-controlled legislature over Medicaid, the federal-state healthcare program for the poor, that he would close the gap without lawmakers' help. The 25,000 Virginians who would get insurance [include] about 20,000 people who are mentally ill and 5,000 children of state employees, the governor said in a statement (9/8).

Richmond Times-Dispatch: McAuliffe Proposes Limited Health Care Expansion
Facing a GOP-dominated legislature averse to Medicaid expansion, Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Monday unveiled a more limited plan to expand health services, using his executive authority and available federal funding. The plan would provide coverage to only about 20,000 of the estimated 400,000 who would be covered if Virginia expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Although he campaigned on expansion and barnstormed the state to hear tales of hardship from uninsured Virginians, McAuliffe could not get the General Assembly on board (Meola and Nolan, 9/8).

Meanwhile, a government report asserts Arkansas' 'private-option' Medicaid plan will be costly to taxpayers -

The Associated Press: GAO: Arkansas Medicaid Plan Not Revenue-Neutral
Arkansas' Medicaid expansion plan, in which the state uses federal dollars to buy private health insurance for its poorer residents, will cost taxpayers an extra $778 million over the next three years rather than being "revenue-neutral" to the federal budget, according to a government report released Monday. The plan's supporters disputed the findings. According to the U.S. General Accountability Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't ensure that Arkansas' "private option" Medicaid plan wouldn't cost the federal government additional money (Kissel, 9/8).