The decision to expand Medicaid in Virginia should be a no-brainer: Accept federal dollars already allocated to the state and give affordable health care coverage to nearly 400,000 uninsured Virginians.
But for years, Republicans have refused to expand Medicaid and, as a result, are killing poor people and people of color. Currently, hundreds of thousands of black and low-income adults fall into the coverage gap because they make too little to qualify for Obamacare subsidies and make too much to qualify for Virginia’s current Medicaid program. In recent discussions, I have not seen anyone explore how race plays into health care access in Virginia.
