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Trump suffers first defeat but as always doubles down for the next fight; From Ohio to Azerbaijan: How COP29 could shape local farming; Funding boosts 'green' projects in Meadville, PA; VA apprenticeships bridge skills gaps, offer career stability.

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Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

Study: Medicaid Coverage For Virginia Parents Would Help Children

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Monday, January 11, 2016   

RICHMOND, Va. - By not expanding Medicaid to cover working poor adults, Virginia also is shortchanging thousands of children, according to a new study.

Georgetown researchers looked at families in the coverage gap, making too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford insurance on the federal exchange. They found a third of the adults are parents with dependent children, and nearly two thirds of those parents work outside the home.

Widow Melyssa Dove of Culpepper says her lack of insurance makes the financial situation for her and her three young sons particularly fragile. She says she ended up with a big emergency-room bill when she got sick last summer.

"That bill is unresolved," says Dove. "I've gone through the hospital system trying to get help, and so it's very frustrating. It's been very frustrating dealing with the system."

According to the study, children can be all but locked out of the health-care system if their parents don't have insurance and getting their parents insured can improve the children's health care and quality of life.

In much of the country, the portion of children with access to the health-care system has increased sharply since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. But while Virginia was once a leader in that, the portion in the state actually has fallen a little. Ashley Everette is a policy analyst with Voices for Virginia¹s Children.

"While many other states saw decreases in the rate of uninsured kids, Virginia's rate has worsened," says Everette. "We also know when parents are uninsured, their ability to care for their kids and provide financially can be compromised."

Currently about 100,000 Virginia children lack health insurance. Medicaid expansion would cover 400,000 adults, and likely bring thousands of the children into the system as well.

For Dove, insurance issues make it harder for her while she finishes her nursing degree. She says some years ago she survived thyroid cancer, but now she can barely afford the thyroid medicine she needs let alone tests her doctors say she should have.

"Am I going to have the scans and rack up a $6,000 hospital bill? Or am I just going to hope I'm OK," she says. "You cross your fingers and say, 'I hope I don't get sick.'"

Republicans in the General Assembly refuse the Medicaid expansion offered under the Affordable Care Act, arguing Medicaid should be reformed first.


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