Lolita Mancheno-Smoak is running as Republican to represent the 42nd District in the House of Delegates. So, I was thrown for a loop recently when she was asked if she would support Medicaid expansion. Lolita countered that she would only support it if it did what it was intended to do, cover kids and the elderly. This was a confusing response because Medicaid already covers children, people with disabilities, and those living in extreme poverty. Seniors are covered by Medicare, which is a separate program.
With her answer, Lolita proved that she doesn’t actually understand what Medicaid expansion is or how it can benefit more than 400,000 of us in Virginia. So if you’re counting on Lolita to be an informed advocate for you on healthcare, you might want to wait until she gets her facts straight. Or spends 30 seconds googling “Medicaid expansion”.
Everyone Deserves To See A Doctor When They Need One
Everyone gets sick. But because of the way our healthcare system is set up, not everyone can get the medical care they need. People who are low-income and those who lack health insurance have to make hard decisions about what justifies going to the doctor.
Should a working mom who makes $7.25 an hour take her son to the doctor for the wheezing cough he’s had for the last month when she knows that means she won’t be able to pay rent if she does? It is an impossible choice, and one that far too many people in our communities have to make on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, when Obamacare was passed, those who wrote the law were counting on states to “expand” the Medicaid program to allow low-income people to access health care through the program. But when the Supreme Court ruled that states didn’t have to expand Medicaid, some states—like Virginia, thanks to conservatives in the Virginia General Assembly —chose not to. This left a group of low-income individuals and working families stuck in a “coverage gap”—they don’t make enough money to qualify for help buying health insurance through the Affordable Care Act but they make too much to qualify for Medicaid.
But if we pass Medicaid expansion, those who fall into the coverage gap wouldn’t have to make that impossible choice. It seems that expanding access to health insurance to hardworking families is a no-brainer, but not for Lolita.
Should a working mom who makes $7.25 an hour take her son to the doctor for the wheezing cough he’s had for the last month when she knows that means she won’t be able to pay rent if she does?
Republicans Like Lolita Hate the Affordable Care Act More Than They Want Their Constituents To Have Healthcare
If Lolita is elected, she will join the conservatives in the Virginia General Assembly who have rejected the healthcare needs of people in our community every single year since 2012.
Because the federal government will pay 90% of the costs for new Medicaid recipients, the only reason that conservatives in the General Assembly won’t pass it is that they hate the Affordable Care Act more than they want their constituents to be healthy.
If Lolita is elected, she will join the conservatives in the Virginia General Assembly who have rejected the healthcare needs of people in our community every single year since 2012.
Frankly, that’s absurd. We elected these people to represent us and our best interests, and instead of doing that, they put party affiliation and petty ideological battles before the needs of the communities they represent. We don’t need more people like that in the General Assembly.
On November 7, We Can Vote To Close the Coverage Gap
On November 7, every member of the House of Delegates who has voted to reject Medicaid expansion will be up for election. It is up to us to replace them with people who agree that it is in the best interest of the Commonwealth to allow 400,000 hard working, uninsured Virginians to see a doctor when they need to without the stress and worry that comes with figuring out how to pay for it. When I go to the polls, I’ll make sure that my vote is only going to someone who will stand up for accessible healthcare. You should too.