A healthy Virginia is vital for our economy to grow and prosper. We have a healthcare system that is too costly, and people have to make healthcare decisions based on bureaucracy rather than the benefit. Insurance rates under the Affordable Care Act are rising by more than 16 percent this year. It’s a feeling many of us have experienced: We’re anxious about getting the healthcare we know we need because we don’t know how much it will cost. The cost of Virginia’s healthcare safety net programs are also rising rapidly. Every dollar put into these programs is a dollar we can’t spend on K-12 or higher education or other important priorities. The challenge for Virginia’s next governor will be to get costs under control, give consumers more choices and reform our safety net programs so we can take care of those who need the most help in a cost effective manner.
As governor, Ed will:
- Establish a strategic plan for population health known as “ HEALTH IN OUR COMMONWEALTH.”
- Increase transparency for patients in determining their costs of healthcare services
- Work to permit insurance competition across state lines
- Increase access to healthcare services by reforming our Certificate of Public Need program
- Expand the number of residency programs in Virginia
- Reform Medicaid and the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) as Virginia transitions to managed care contracts
- Become a research hub for cancer treatment
- Upgrade the Commonwealth’s services for the intellectual and developmental disabilities population
- Become the best in the nation for foster care and adoption outcomes
- Helping seniors to age-in-health
To read the full “Health in our Commonwealth: A System that Serves ALL Virginians” Plan, click HERE.