- Several Henrico lawmakers and Richmond-area medical leaders have spoken out against U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman’s (R-VA-01) comments supporting the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
- […] state delegate Rodney Willett (D-58th District), who represents parts of Western Henrico that also fall under Wittman’s First District, said he fears the bill will have disastrous consequences for individuals who depend on Medicaid in his district, including those who are part of vulnerable groups such as children and people with disabilities.
- Willett, who chairs Virginia’s Joint Commission on Health Care, said the passage of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ marks “the most significant attack on our health system that we’ve ever seen in the history of our country.”
- “It’s smoke and mirrors. They’re saying, ‘No, no, no, we’re just going to put this requirement in and decrease the eligibility, add more burden.’ Well, every person, Republican or Democrat, knows that means that you’re going to reduce the number of people being covered by Medicaid,” he said.
- [Alex] Krist, who is also the director of the Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network, an organization that includes 526 primary care practices across Virginia – including several in Henrico – said that many medical officials and clinicians are “terrified” about the outcomes of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
- “I haven’t met a practice or a clinician that isn’t concerned about what’s going to happen,” Krist said. “I think the medical community is very alarmed and worried.”
- State senator Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-16th District), who represents the Western Henrico area, also pushed back on Wittman’s support of the “Big, Beautiful Bill” in a social media post, saying that Wittman’s comments were untruthful.
- “We have a responsibility to be truthful with our constituents. [Wittman] voted for health care cuts and to close hospitals. That’s a fact,” VanValkenburg wrote. […]
- Cuts to Medicaid will heavily impact hospitals, especially rural hospitals that have more Medicaid patients, said Willett. But even hospitals in more affluent, suburban areas will be negatively affected, he said, since many of Virginia’s hospitals and clinics already struggle to stay afloat.
- “Not just the rural hospitals, but all of the hospitals depend on that Medicaid formula to keep the lights on. It’s just part of the financial equation,” Willett said. “So we’re now talking about some of the most successful hospitals in the state, right here in my district, which is part of Wittman’s district, who are worried.”
- The Virginia Hospital and Health Care Association has estimated that Medicaid cuts could cost hospitals in the state roughly $2 billion a year, putting many hospitals at risk of closure. A loss of revenue that large will be difficult to make up, even with some federal funding for rural hospitals, said Krist.
- Medicaid cuts will also not just impact those receiving Medicaid benefits, said Willett, but will make accessing health care more difficult for even those on very good health insurance. Many people who lose Medicaid will likely only seek out medical care in emergency situations, he said, which will put strain on hospitals and increase wait times.
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