RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia's Republican-controlled House of Delegates is embracing Medicaid expansion after years of opposition.
The House included Medicaid expansion in the proposed state budget Sunday, saying President Barack Obama's health care law is here to stay and it's no longer reasonable to block health coverage for about 300,000 low-income Virginians. Republicans want to mandate work requirements and cost-sharing provisions for some Medicaid recipients.
Republicans had blocked Medicaid expansion for years, saying its long-term costs were unsustainable. The change of heart comes after several new Democratic House lawmakers won election last year after campaigning specifically on expanding Medicaid. Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam has made expansion a top priority.
But the GOP-controlled Senate has indicated it still opposes expansion, setting up a potential stalemate in the final weeks of the 2018 legislative session.
Democrats Troubles
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - More than a dozen Democrats were elected to Virginia's House last fall, riding a wave of resentment against President Donald Trump. But they're having trouble keeping their bills alive in the Republican-led chamber.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Saturday that more than 85 percent of the bills filed by the 16 freshmen Democrats have died in Republican-controlled committees and subcommittees. Just 27 of the 202 bills they filed are still alive, according to the newspaper's analysis.
Thirteen Democratic freshmen got at least one bill passed. Minority Leader David. J. Toscano said that's no small feat for a Democratic lawmaker, freshman or not, in the House.
Democrats had flipped 15 House seats. But Republicans held onto a 51-49 majority after election officials broke a tied race by drawing names from a bowl.
