Just as President Obama botched his launch of Obamacare, Democrat Ralph Northam is rushing to fix his Medicaid expansion before it fails to launch.
Promises to keep costs down and include work requirements have already disappeared.
Now, another major snag is stirring up a new wave of outrage.
Northam’s Officials Ask for More Funding Before Medicaid Expansion Hits
Democrat Ralph Northam’s Department of Medical Assistance Services is asking for more money in the state budget proposal.
This shows ministers fell short when they first guessed how expensive Obamacare’s Medicaid Expansion would really be.
The low-ball estimate might be the cause of rushing the policy through passage.
In fact, the conservative wing of the GOP was shocked when Democrats quickly pulled several Republicans on board to support the Obamacare expansion and passed it law earlier this year.
The key vote was in the Senate, where Senators Jill Vogel, Emmett Hanger, Ben Chafin, and Frank Wagner voted for the Obamacare Medicaid expansion.
Now, after costs have already skyrocketed before the new rules take effect, officials are asking for another $19.1 million.
But the very reason they’re asking highlights another road bump.
Virginia Faces Rural Doctor Shortage
Northam’s officials announced that the extra money is meant to raise state Medicaid payments to doctors so that physicians will actually take on new Medicaid patients.
Already parts of rural Virginia are reporting a shortage of doctors in general, WDBJ7 reports.1
This will hit sick Virginians relying on Medicaid the hardest, as they’ll face the toughest struggle to find a doctor to accept them onto their books.
You see, Medicaid is paid to doctors through reimbursements, and currently they’re only paid 71% of the Medicare rate.
But even if Northam’s officials get the extra $19.1 million in next year’s budget, they’ll still fall short of closing the gap.
What do you think?
Will Virginia’s Obamacare expansion eventually reach smoother waters?
Or will the expansion face more trouble before it even begins?