Hundreds of thousands of people are about to lose their health insurance. Governor Abigail Spanberger is trying to fill the gap.
Keep Virginia Covered is the name of Executive Order 20, an effort by Governor Abigail Spanberger to prevent people from falling through the cracks when the federal government implements the largest cuts to Medicaid and food stamps in history. The governor says the loss of coverage will make healthcare more expensive for everyone.
"Not just those on Medicaid, not just those who live in rural communities, not just those who use SNAP to help put food on the table," Spanberger says. "When Virginians lose their health coverage, premiums will go up for everyone else. The impact will be felt across Virginia."
New Medicaid work requirements will go into place in January for more than half a million people. Virginia is responding by creating new personalized case management and expanding resources for connecting people to job openings.
"Some will lose coverage because federal law changes who qualifies, others may still be eligible but lose coverage because a form was missed, a notice was misunderstood or the process became too difficult to navigate," says Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa. "That distinction matters. A paperwork failure should not become a healthcare crisis."
One of the new key strategies to help people in Virginia keep their health insurance is a new $150 million program to make private healthcare plans affordable for those who lose their Medicaid eligibility.
