Ahead Of 50th Anniversary Of Medicare And Medicaid, Kaine & Brown Lead Colleagues In Urging States To Expand Medicaid
Press Release
Ahead of the 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine, Sherrod Brown and 29 of their Senate colleagues are urging the 19 states that have not yet decided to expand Medicaid to do so in order to give more than four million additional Americans access to affordable, comprehensive health care.
"The 50th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid is a chance to celebrate one of the greatest public health accomplishments in our nation's history," Kaine said. "It's also a time to encourage those states who haven't expanded Medicaid, including Virginia, to take advantage of the opportunity to provide affordable health care to millions of additional Americans. It's time we give the most vulnerable in our country -- including hundreds of thousands in Virginia - the peace of mind affordable, comprehensive health insurance coverage brings."
"The creation of Medicare and Medicaid enhanced the lives of millions of Americans. And through the Affordable Care Act, we built on that public health achievement," said Brown. "Unfortunately, four million Americans living in states that failed to expand their Medicaid program under the health law have yet to see its benefits. This is most true for low-income Americans and communities of color. It's time for state legislatures and governors in these states to expand Medicaid so millions more Americans can realize the promise of health care coverage."
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) put an end to insurance coverage denials for those with pre-existing conditions, halted unjustifiable premium rate hikes, and capped annual and lifetime insurance coverage limits. Because of the ACA, more than 16 million previously uninsured Americans now have health coverage -- some for the first time in their lives. However, these gains in health insurance have not been uniform. This is chiefly due to the Supreme Court's holding that states could not be compelled to expand their Medicaid programs and the ensuing willingness of some states not to expand Medicaid.
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