Tuesday, October 09, 2007

RPV's 2008 Legislative Policy Agenda: Health Care Reform

Looking ahead to an even better, safer, more prosperous and opportunity filled future, Virginia Republican leaders in the General Assembly are championing a forward-looking agenda for governing that builds upon their past accomplishments.

Health Care Reform

· Increasing access to health care service in underserved areas of the Commonwealth. The plan includes provisions to partner with Virginia’s higher education system to increase the number of medical residents assigned to underserved areas of Virginia, many of which are rural communities. In addition, the plan calls for continuing to increase the number of free clinics and community health centers that serve low-income and uninsured Virginians.

· Decreasing the reliance on Emergency Room facilities by encouraging the use of primary care physicians. By offering incentives to primary care physicians to increase the number of Medicaid patients served and by providing increased reimbursement rates for hospitals with primary care physician practices on facility grounds, access will be improved and the use of costly Emergency Room care reduced.

· Implementing recommendations on Medicaid reforms crafted by the Medicaid Revitalization Commission. These reforms, intended to control costs and streamline the delivery of services, include Enhanced Benefits Accounts for Medicaid recipients, Electronic Health Benefit Cards, increased use of electronic health records and the implementation of a web-based claims submission system.

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