In the March 29, 2018, edition of The Richmond Times Dispatch, Virginia Secretary of Finance Aubrey Layne expressed his view that Virginia cannot maintain its AAA bond rating without enacting Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, Secretary Layne said, “If we don’t take the money, it’s my personal opinion it will be very difficult for us to satisfy the reserve requirement.”
Setting aside the fact that the Senate’s proposed budget places more money into Virginia’s cash reserves than the House’s plan, the record of other states that have imposed Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion would indicate Secretary Layne’s assessment may not be supported by experience or evidence.

The Latest on Medicaid Expansion
Read more facts about Medicaid expansion, problems encountered in other states and other options.
Alternative Medicaid Options
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) Approximately 1 in 6 rural residents are served by the Health Center Program, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC). Health centers provide a comprehensive...
Expansion is Fueling the Opioid Epidemic
Chairman Johnson Releases Report on How Medicaid Has Helped to Fuel the Opioid Epidemic WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, released a report Wednesday, “Drugs for Dollars: How...
Speaker Howell Op-Ed on Medicaid Expansion
Originally published in The Free-Lance Star: January 5, 2014 As the General Assembly prepares to convene for the 2014 session, lawmakers continue to debate the future of Medicaid expansion in Virginia. As I have said many times before, Medicaid should not be expanded...
Medicaid
Expanding Medicaid is Financially Risky Virginia, like many other states, is already stretched in providing care to those who currently depend on the program. States should stay focused on improving the care and services for those already on the program rather than...
Financially Risky for the Commonwealth
MEMBERS of the Virginia General Assembly return to Richmond today for a special session in an attempt to do what they failed to do during their regular 60-day session: pass a biennial state budget. Then and now, the main sticking point is Medicaid...
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