Where health care stands at the Virginia primaries Nicole Pasia | Jun 3, 2021
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As Virginia gears up for its primary elections on June 8, several candidates have health care reform lined up in their agendas. Ballots for attorney general, governor, and lieutenant governor consist fully of Democrat candidates, while district seats in the House of Delegates are up for contest across both parties.
The gubernatorial election has six candidates, including current Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who cast the tie-breaking vote to expand Medicaid in the Commonwealth in 2018. At the 2021 Virginia State of Reform Health Policy Conference, he said the pandemic underscored the need to expand. affordable health care.
Managing mental health and substance abuse through COVID-19 Nicole Pasia | May 12, 2021
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At the Virginia State of Reform Health Policy Conference, behavioral health professionals and state legislators discussed the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and substance abuse, and how the state can better provide care services coming out of the pandemic.
The conversation featured Del. Rod Willett, member of the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, Alison Land, the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services Commissioner, Bethany Teachman, professor and director of Clinical Training at the University of Virginia and Kevin Roy, Chief Public Policy Officer at Shatterproof.
Virginia State of Reform Health Policy Conference: Update from DMAS Nicole Pasia | May 11, 2021
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Kimsey reported that since Virginia declared a state of emergency on March 12, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid gained 291,923 new members.
“These are individuals who have a peace of mind now, to know that they have health coverage during this very critical time.”
What caused Virginia’s Medicaid member increase, which began on April 1, involves the expansion of coverage eligibility. Previously, Virginia was one of only six states that required a lawful permanent resident to have 40 quarters (approximately 10 years) of work history to qualify for Medicaid. The agency has now reduced that requirement to five years to match the federal requirement. This change expands Medicaid access for 4,000 individuals with green cards. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, nearly $6.6 million from the general state fund and $16.6 m
Afternoon keynote: one-on-one conversation with Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax Nicole Pasia | May 6, 2021
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Looking ahead, Fairfax says expanding access to affordable health care namely COVID-19 vaccines will play an instrumental role in his election campaign. Virginia has administered roughly six million vaccine doses so far, vaccinating or partially vaccinating 40 percent of the state population. Fairfax commented that the state’s vaccination efforts are an ongoing process:
“It is work that we have to engage in every single day, to make sure we are delivering, and also to make sure we are doing so equitably.”
Also on his radar is streamlining access to health insurance, especially for children. Roughly 600,000-700,000 Virginians are currently uninsured, of which 100,000 are children.
Over 80 organizations attending our Virginia Conference next week Matt Beuschlein | Apr 21, 2021
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We are looking forward to seeing a few hundred of our best friends in Virginia health care and health policy next week at the 2021 Virginia State of Reform Health Policy Conference!
We get about half of our registration in the last week or so. And, since we’re in that window we, wanted to share with you the list of organizations who will be attending our event next week. It’s an impressive list and one that we’re honored to host and convene on April 29th!