Washington, D.C., June 7, 2018 – Today Virginia governor Ralph Northam signed into law a state budget that extends health care coverage to an estimated 400,000 low-income Virginians through the Medicaid program. Virginia is now the 33rd state, in addition to Washington, D.C., to accept federal funding to provide health insurance coverage to adults earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level—just under $17,000 a year for a single adult.
As part of the expansion, Virginia will require Medicaid recipients attend school, work, partake in job training or engage in some kind of community engagement for upwards of 80 hours a month in order to receive benefits. This requirement could pose significant challenges to cancer patients and survivors.
A statement from Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) follows:
“By signing this budget into law Gov. Northam and the Virginia Legislature made clear their desire to expand access to health care coverage to thousands of low-income Virginians who currently are unable to get the care they need. Uninsured adults are more likely than those with health insurance to be diagnosed with late-stage cancers, which are more difficult and costly to treat and are more likely to die from the disease. Extending Medicaid eligibility will save lives and save long-term health care costs as more Virginians are able to see doctors regularly, get recommended cancer screenings and receive timely treatment if diagnosed with the disease.
“While this increase in access to Medicaid coverage is certainly a hard-fought victory, the requirement for enrollees to work, attend school or participate in community engagement for 80 hours a month could be seriously challenging for cancer patients and survivors. Cancer is an incredibly difficult disease to treat and its side effects can often leave patients unable to complete simple tasks, like getting out of bed or brushing their teeth. These effects often extend beyond active treatment into the long-term survivorship wherein patients sometimes experience permanent nerve damage, chronic pain, fatigue and infections. In such cases, tying patients’ health care to work requirements could prove impossible and potentially even deadly.
“This is an important first step to increase access to lifesaving health coverage for Virginians. ACS CAN will work with state and federal regulators to make clear our concerns and mitigate potential complications for patients and survivors from these requirements.
“We commend Virginia for expanding access to quality health care through Medicaid and will continue working with lawmakers in the remaining states to ensure more people have access to the care they need.”
About ACS CAN
ACS CAN, the nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information, visit https://www.fightcancer.org/.