300,000 Virginians could lose Medicaid coverage under the Trump administration’s tax and spending act.
RICHMOND, Va. — In a briefing co-hosted by advocacy group Protect Our Care Virginia, U.S. Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (D, VA-04) and Virginia Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Resources Lauryn Walker joined state advocates to address what they describe as a mounting healthcare crisis across the Commonwealth.
The focus of Friday’s event centered on new state data detailing the local damage from federal cuts passed in recent legislation referred to by critics as the “Big Ugly Law.”
Deputy Secretary Walker presented data mapping out the fiscal blow to Virginia’s state budget and healthcare delivery systems, estimating a $2 billion to $6 billion loss in state revenue in a single year. Walker emphasized that the crisis extends far beyond individual coverage loss and includes the danger facing hospitals and rural communities that rely on Medicaid reimbursements.
“The economic harm from losing a hospital in a rural community is beyond just the healthcare needs and the healthcare access. Businesses don’t want to move into communities that don’t have hospitals,” Walker said.
According to speakers on the Zoom call, the combination of $1 trillion in national cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA), alongside the expiration of ACA premium tax credits, has forced over 100,000 Virginians off ACA plans due to surging monthly premiums, while putting approximately 300,000 more at risk of losing their Medicaid coverage.
McClellan, who previously co-sponsored state legislation expanding Medicaid under the ACA while serving in the General Assembly, highlighted the real-world utility of the program.
“I hear constituents — not just in my district, but in the Commonwealth — talk about how important Medicaid is to them, whether it’s helping them to get home care, contraception, dialysis, dental care, or cancer screenings,” McClellan said.
McClellan directly criticized congressional Republicans and federal leadership for targeting safety-net healthcare programs to offset tax policy.
The Trump administration says the cuts strengthen Medicaid by eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse, and block illegal immigrants from getting coverage.