HEALTH INSURANCE IN VIRGINIA - DEMOCRATIC SUCCESS!
Thanks to the Democrats, a historic step was taken forward in 2018 to improve the state of health care in Virginia.
In May 2018, the Virginia legislature voted to make government health insurance available to 400,000 low-income residents, overcoming 5 years of GOP resistance. Virginia has joined 32 other states and the District of Columbia in expanding Medicaid coverage (Washington Post).
REGULATION OF HEALTH INSURANCE INDUSTRY
So there is hope for moving the state of health care in Virginia in a positive direction. However, much more needs to be done.
In 2017, the lives of 200,000 Virginians were placed in danger.
After the Republicans made repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the health insurance market was shaken by uncertainty. Then President Donald Trump promised to end cost sharing subsidies, and shortened the health insurance enrollment period to a mere six weeks. The response of the Anthem health insurance company to this uncertainty was to pull out of Virginia.
Their exit was so hasty, many customers never even received an official notification of their departure. Originally Anthem also decided to leave some areas to no providers at all. They eventually rescinded that decision and offered care in some areas where they were the sole provider, with the contingency that they got to charge customers sky-high prices (National Conference of State Legislatures).
Charlottesville, Virginia now has some of the most expensive premiums in the nation, with some people experiencing a cost increase up to 300%. All insurers left the region and Optima Health eventually took their place. And Virginia's benchmark prices for health care reached $524 in the following year (Urban Institute, Marketplace Premiums and Participation in 2021, pg. 3).
Many have left the health care market altogether or underpaid their coverage (The Prince William Times). CareFirst BlueCross had the highest premium rates of 2021, and the American Rescue Plan afforded some relief but may not prevent Virginia patients from facing another year without insurance.
100,000 people shifted from the individual marketplace to Medicaid between 2018-2021 (Joint Commission on Health Care, Health Insurance Affordability in the Individual Marketplace, pg. 2). And unfortunately some of the U.S.' most expensive plans are in Virginia.
What happened in 2017 cannot be allowed to happen in our state again. More needs to be done to protect the patients' rights, and build a functional medical network here before considering a national scale. $443 per monthly premium is too expensive (Urban Institute, pg. 10).
PATIENT RIGHTS AND NURSING HOME CONDITIONS
Not only does the right to health care need to be protected, but more on the state level needs to be done to regulate institutions like hospitals and nursing homes. It is estimated that over 250,000 people in America die every year, due to medical incompetence. Millions of patients are injured. See Report.
And Virginia is not exempt to these abuses. Approximately 21% of state nursing homes are understaffed, unable to provide quality care for both employees or residents. Workforce challenges interfere with aging Virginians' health at a particularly vulnerable time (Joint Commission on Health Care, Workforce Challenges in Virginia's Nursing Homes, pg. 48).
And eligibility for open enrollment plus Medicaid is not easy to navigate. The bureaucratic barriers around health care are why half of elderly Virginians do not receive proper services (Strategies to Support Aging Virginians In Their Communities, pg. 7)
The sick and the elderly often do not have a voice for themselves. So greater regulation needs to be put in place so they are not taken advantage of and abused by the systems that are meant to keep them safe. MyPatientRights is one tool for streamlining patient information, complaint forms and provider lists.
PAID SICK LEAVE
Everyone is healthier when the sick are allowed to take off work. No one wants to go to a restaurant with the knowledge that the chef is coughing on the food. Yet unfortunately, many people have no option.
Maryland's Model
Maryland has a Paid Sick Leave Law. This should be a model for Virginia. In Maryland, the Maryland Healthy Working Families Act requires that employers with 15 or more employees provide paid sick and safe leave for certain employees. It also requires that employers who employ 14 or fewer employees provide unpaid sick and safe leave for certain employees. More about Maryland's model of Paid Sick Leave
A SUMMARY OF OUR GOALS FOR HEALTH CARE IN VIRGINIA
- Greater regulation of the health insurance industry
- Greater regulation of nursing homes.
- Greater regulation of hospitals.
- The protection of patients' rights from abuse by their providers (especially in elder care facilities and homes).
- Paid sick leave (like Maryland)
ORGANIZATIONS
Elder
Justice Coalition
Healthcare for All Virginians Coalition
Joint Commission on Health Care
MyPatientRights
NARAL VA - reproductive rights and family
health
National Patient Safety Board
New Virginia Majority -
leadership organization and advocacy platform for marginalized communities
SEIU 512 (VA) - a public
service workers' union who protect civil, economic, health rights
Virginia Community Healthcare
Association
Virginia Poverty Law
Center
RELATED MEDIA
Strategies to Support Aging Virginians In Their Communities (Joint Commission on Health Care, 2021)
Marketplace Premiums and Participation in 2021 (Urban Institute, 2021)
Virginia Health Care Premiums Are Still Too High For Many Customers (The Prince William Times, 11-18-21)
Virginia's Largest Insurer Anthem Wants Investigation of Sentara (Virginia Mercury, 10-25-21)
Virginia Health Care Laws (FindLaw)
Health Innovation State Legislative Database (National Conference of State Legislatures)
Transparency of Health Costs: State Actions (National Conference of State Legislature)
2020 Virginia Healthcare Transparency Report (Virginia Health Information)