Health and Human Services

Thursday, January 15, 2026·1h 33m·▶ Watch / Listen

The Virginia Health and Human Services Committee convened for an organizational session and two informational briefings on the impacts of federal HR1 legislation and expiring expanded premium tax credits on Virginia's Medicaid program and Insurance Marketplace. No votes were taken; presenters from DMAS, DSS, and the Virginia Health Benefit Exchange described significant operational, financial, and coverage challenges ahead, while members pressed for data and details that agencies acknowledged they do not yet have.

Key Actions

·Organizational Session – Committee Introductions and Subcommittee AssignmentsNo Vote

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Controversies

Federal intent behind HR1 Medicaid eligibility changes and who bears costs when people lose coverage

Mark D. Sickles argued the federal government is counting on people to go off Medicaid to meet savings targets, stated 'we have the lowest uninsured rate in American history right now and we're voluntarily walking away from that,' and pressed who pays when people lose coverage and end up in the hospital. Jeff Linardi attempted to walk through scenarios where individuals might still have coverage but explicitly declined to answer the broader policy question, stating 'I'll gladly not' answer that question.

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Notable Quotes

“Somebody has to pay because we're not going to let people just die, right? So right now we have a system where we have the lowest uninsured rate in American history right now and we're voluntarily walking away from that.”
Mark D. Sickles — Sickles was challenging the premise of HR1's Medicaid eligibility restrictions, arguing that reducing coverage does not eliminate costs but shifts them to other payers.

+ 1 more quote

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TranscriptPreview

Make sure we're streaming. Good morning. Good morning. I'm Delegate Rodney Willett. Serving as your chair this year for HHS is an absolute honor to be doing that and to be with you this morning. I'll have a few more things to say in a second, but we're going to jump right into action, and we will call the roll. Excellent. I think we may get a few more people. We've got a quorum. I think we'll get a few more people coming in. But, no, first and foremost, I really want to thank everyone for being here. We are so blessed to have such an impressive committee. A lot of returning folks and a few new folks. And again, I just really appreciate everyone diving into what's arguably going to be one of the most important years ever for health care. The challenges we are facing in terms of cuts coming from the federal government. We had challenges before that in terms of affordability for health care, access to health care, and those things have only gotten worse with what's happened. So we're going to have a full plate with the committee, but this is a great group, and…

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