On May 30th, after years of debate, the Virginia Senate voted to expand Medicaid and pass an annual budget.

“Medicaid expansion is a good deal for Virginians and for the Commonwealth,” said Progress Virginia’s executive director Anna Scholl. “It was a good deal six years ago when we started this fight and it is a good deal today. We appreciate the hard work of our lawmakers who finally came around, but the real credit for this victory belongs to the thousands of our friends, loved ones and neighbors who desperately need affordable health care and have fought valiantly for over half a decade to ensure the commonwealth of Virginia provides access to life-saving programs like Medicaid. We know the 400,000 people who are now eligible for coverage and can access care will be healthier and have more financial security than they do today because of the legislators who voted for this budget.

While the deal is not without policy provisions that may ultimately make the program out of reach for some families struggling to get by, Progress Virginia and our members recognize that compromise is an important step in achieving our ultimate goal of universal coverage for everyone living in the Commonwealth. Elected officials at all levels of government should take notice that Virginians want more health care — not less — and join us in our fight for affordable, quality health care for all. At a time when too many families are just one emergency away from financial ruin, it’s the right thing to do for our neighbors and communities.”