A key Virginia GOP state senator says he is willing to break ranks and vote to expand Medicaid

Virginia could be on the cusp of expanding Medicaid to 400,000 low-income residents, after a veteran Republican state senator said Friday he is willing to split with his party and help Democrats realize a goal they have been chasing for years.

State Sen. Frank W. Wagner (Virginia Beach) said he supports allowing more poor people to enroll in the federal-state health-care program on two conditions.

He wants the plan structured so Medicaid recipients do not suddenly lose coverage if their earnings rise. And he wants a tax credit or some other help for middle-income people who already have insurance but are struggling to pay soaring premiums and co-pays.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/a-key-virginia-gop-state-senator-says-he-is-willing-to-break-ranks-and-vote-to-expand-medicaid/2018/04/06/8b53dc58-382e-11e8-9c0a-85d477d9a226_story.html?utm_term=.14e24acd2c8c