June 27, 2017 Press Releases and Announcements

Inside NOVA: Gillespie mum about Senate health bill in Woodbridge campaign stop


by Christina Freundlich

But when it came time to discuss the Senate GOP’s newly revealed “Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Gillespie clammed up a bit.

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Yet, should Republicans succeed in passing some repeal of the ACA, the state’s next governor will need to consider the impact of the law’s coverage cuts and premium hikes on both older and poorer Virginians. Like the House GOP’s healthcare bill, the Senate’s legislation would slash hundreds of billions from the Medicaid program for low-income people and children — the federal government currently has an open-ended commitment to fund state Medicaid benefits, but the new bill would set limits on how much money states would receive to support enrollees.

If Gillespie can best Northam, he could very well have to grapple with the reality of supporting a Medicaid program bleeding federal money, leaving many enrollees facing impossibly high medical bills. In all, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over the next 10 years, and Virginia officials estimate the bill would cost the state’s Medicaid program $1.4 billion over the next seven years.

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Yet Gillespie wouldn’t say how he’d cope with the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts as governor, stressing that he would pursue ways to “expand access and coverage and affordability” no matter what comes out of Congress.

Gillespie mum about Senate health bill in Woodbridge campaign stop
Inside Nova // Alex Koma

Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie, right, recently tours the Todos Supermarket in Woodbridge with its owner, Carlos Castro. Alex Koma/ InsideNoVa.com

In a Woodbridge campaign stop, Republican gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie was eager discuss his plans to support small businesses in Virginia — he was less interested in revealing his thoughts on the new bill from Senate Republicans to replace the Affordable Care Act.

As Gillespie toured Todos Supermarket just off U.S. 1 on June 22, the former lobbyist and White House adviser regaled shoppers and employees with his stories of his family’s grocery store and his commitment to easing regulatory burdens on entrepreneurs.

But when it came time to discuss the Senate GOP’s newly revealed “Better Care Reconciliation Act,” Gillespie clammed up a bit. He repeatedly stressed that he’s waiting to form an opinion on the bill until his policy team can examine it, and he remains adamant that President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare law was a “disaster for Virginia” and needs to be repealed.

Gillespie also argued that he’s more focused on “enacting policies in Richmond” than he is on the goings-on of Congress, which he believes provides a stark contrast with his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam.

“He’s very focused on what’s happening in Washington, D.C. — I’m more focused on what’s happening in Washington County [in Southwestern Virginia],” Gillespie said in an interview.

Yet, should Republicans succeed in passing some repeal of the ACA, the state’s next governor will need to consider the impact of the law’s coverage cuts and premium hikes on both older and poorer Virginians. Like the House GOP’s healthcare bill, the Senate’s legislation would slash hundreds of billions from the Medicaid program for low-income people and children — the federal government currently has an open-ended commitment to fund state Medicaid benefits, but the new bill would set limits on how much money states would receive to support enrollees.

If Gillespie can best Northam, he could very well have to grapple with the reality of supporting a Medicaid program bleeding federal money, leaving many enrollees facing impossibly high medical bills. In all, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over the next 10 years, and Virginia officials estimate the bill would cost the state’s Medicaid program $1.4 billion over the next seven years.

In Prince William County alone, more than 28,300 people rely on Medicaid as their only form of insurance, according to Census bureau data. And in the Woodbridge area where Gillespie was campaigning, nearly 9,300 people depend on the program.

Yet Gillespie wouldn’t say how he’d cope with the bill’s proposed Medicaid cuts as governor, stressing that he would pursue ways to “expand access and coverage and affordability” no matter what comes out of Congress.

“I look at everything through a filter of, ‘How does this affect Virginians?’” Gillespie said. “I’m looking at ways we can increase competition in the health insurance market and in the provider market here in the commonwealth to make healthcare more affordable and accessible.”

Gillespie reiterated that he has “concerns” about the bill previously put forward by House Republicans, though he has previously said he may be receptive to one portion of the legislation. The legislation would let states opt out of certain requirements for insurers mandated by the ACA — for instance, the law currently requires any insurance plan to cover certain basic procedures known as “essential health benefits” and caps how much insurers can charge patients with “pre-existing conditions.”

Gillespie has suggested he would consider asking for Virginia to be freed of those requirements, though he expressed consternation that people with pre-existing conditions could be harmed under the law. The Senate bill would only let states waive the “essential health benefit” requirement, and Gillespie wouldn’t address if that change made the option more palatable.

“My staff is looking at the Senate bill now, and I’ll get briefed up on it,” Gillespie said. “But I’m very conscious of what’s happening in Washington, D.C.”

Unsurprisingly, Gillespie’s lack of specificity on the new bill attracted fire from Northam’s camp.

“There are families in Virginia who are wondering whether they will have health insurance next year — they deserve to know whether Ed Gillespie is Donald Trump’s silent partner in making their coverage cost more and cover less,” Northam said in a statement. “Mr. Gillespie is the biggest gator in Trump's swamp, so he must feel right at home keeping his positions this murky, but Virginians deserve honesty and clarity from their leaders.”

But Gillespie believes his focus on “issues that resonate for all Virginians” like the economy, transportation and the dangers of the state’s opioid epidemic will help him connect with voters, no matter what Democrats say.

“I take my message to every corner of commonwealth, and people appreciate that,” Gillespie said. “You don’t have to say one thing to one group and another in another if you’re running on issues that resonate everywhere, and I am.”