Issue Position: Health Care/Mental Health

Issue Position

Today, approximately one million Virginians lack health insurance, which means that our emergency rooms provide the primary source of health care for many of these individuals. As a result, the financial burden of this care is shifted mainly to those with private insurance in the form of higher premiums. Under the federal health care law, Virginia has the option of expanding Medicaid coverage to those with income under 133% of the federal poverty level, which represents more than 300,000 people. For the first three years of the program, the federal government will pay 100% of the cost. The federal share will then be slowly reduced to 90%. This is expected to save Virginia significant money by making the system more efficient and ensuring that more people get preventative health care. This is one of the reasons why expansion is supported by the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce. I was proud to support budget language during the 2013 session that will put Virginia on a path for Medicaid expansion and make sure that Virginia doesn't leave over $3 billion on the table that could go to the improving the health of our citizens.

As a member of the General Assembly's Joint Commission on Health Care, I have worked closely with Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel on a wide range of health care and mental health issues. My priorities include:

*Mental health reform. In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, the General Assembly made important reforms to our mental health laws and increased the resources available to courts and case managers. We need to continue to refine these reforms and ensure that funding is not cut to these critical services.
*Autism spectrum disorder. I co-patroned the successful effort to require health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder. The benefits of early intervention are enormous, not only to the child, but also in terms of the long-term cost savings to the state. No family should be put in the position of having to decide if they can afford appropriate treatment.
*Smoking in restaurants ban. As a member of the General Laws Committee, I helped to pass the landmark legislation in 2009 that protects both the health of customers and workers by significantly limiting smoking in restaurants.

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