2023 Virginia General Session Wrap-Up

Virginia’s General Assembly session ended on February 25. However, lawmakers are still negotiating updates to the state budget. The budget is crucial because it funds the agencies and programs that serve Virginians. Virginia Health Catalyst’s budget priorities include: $100,000 in general funds and $100,000 in nongeneral funds to study the costs and benefits of adding…

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Catalyst Policy Priorities: 2023 Legislative Session

Policies influence our health. Ensuring that policies at the local, state, and federal levels support comprehensive health care access for all Virginians is integral to Catalyst’s mission. Catalyst engages with partners across the commonwealth to advocate for health policies that advance equity and center the voices and experiences of the communities who are directly impacted.…

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Front Line Innovations – Policy Changes to Improve Oral Health

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the face of oral health care. Virginia Health Catalyst is highlighting innovations in oral health through the Front Line Innovations blog series. This week’s blog from Pat Finnerty, Catalyst’s policy committee chair and a former director of the state’s Medicaid program looks at federal policy innovations to improve access to oral…

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Understanding the Public Charge Ruling and its Impact on the Health of Virginians

Yesterday the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule took effect. The rule will affect approximately 10 million documented immigrants across the country, making it harder for immigrants to get a green card if they use public benefits like Medicaid or SNAP While there are legal challenges still moving forward regarding the rule, the Supreme Court in…

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Legislative Day Recap

Today on January 28th, 2020 Virginia Health Catalyst hosted our annual Legislative Action Day, where constituents meet with their legislators to talk about the importance of oral health and advocate for an adult dental benefit in Medicaid. Thank you to all who attended and to all of our partners who shared this important day with…

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DMAS Study Highlights Need for Dental Benefit

A study released today by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) found a high usage of the emergency department (ED) for dental issues among Medicaid recipients. Currently, Virginia’s Medicaid program does not provide a comprehensive dental benefit for all enrollees. In 2018, nearly 16,000 Medicaid recipients visited the ED roughly 19,000 times for…

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2019 Legislative Session Recap

The 2019 session was a ‘short’ session (legislative sessions alternate between short sessions, which are six weeks, and long sessions which are 8 weeks), which means a lot of legislation was reviewed in a short amount of time.  Overall I think the commonwealth made strides toward more equitable access to quality, comprehensive health care through…

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Policy Priorities for the 2019 Legislative Session

The 2019 legislative is underway in Richmond. The Coalition staff is excited about several bills put forward to improve access to oral health care. Be sure to join us on January 30 for our Legislative Action Day and share your support for three bills we’re watching closely: Study on Emergency Room Dental Visits (Item 281 #1s,…

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