The members of the House of Delegates who will sit on the Medicaid Innovation and Reform Commission were announced Sunday, and two represent the Richmond area.
Dels. R. Steven Landes, R-Augusta, Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, John M. O’Bannon III, R-Henrico, Johnny S. Joannou, D-Portsmouth, and Beverly J. Sherwood, R-Frederick, were named to the commission. The Senate appointees have not yet been chosen.
O’Bannon, a physician, said in a statement that Medicaid is the fastest-growing item in the state budget, and that expansion “without significant reforms could wreck Virginia’s finances.”
“We need to make sure that patient-centered, cost-saving reforms are fully implemented before we think about moving forward,” he said.
On Saturday, the General Assembly adopted amendments to the state budget that include the ability to reform and expand Medicaid, but subject to certification by the commission that benchmarks for reforms have been met.
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The 10-member commission will have the final say on whether expansion can begin as early as July 1, 2014, rather than on Jan. 1, as allowed under the federal law.
Olympia Meola