The National Federation of Independent Business, Virginia’s leading small business association, today reiterated its opposition to Medicaid expansion.
“Virginia’s small-business owners have spoken, and they strongly oppose the General Assembly expanding the Medicaid program in Virginia,” said Nicole Riley, state director of NFIB/Virginia, the state’s largest small-business association with 5,400 dues-paying member businesses.
According to the 2014 NFIB/Virginia Member Ballot, 81 percent of NFIB members in the commonwealth believe the legislature should not allow any expansion of Medicaid. Unlike other business groups, NFIB’s public-policy positions aren’t determined by a board of directors but are based solely on the position of a majority of its members. The Member Ballot is essential to this process.
As the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, NFIB members have continually cited the cost of healthcare as the number one concern facing their business, and have advocated for a fiscally-responsible solution to the healthcare crisis.
“Small-business owners realize that there is no such thing as free money from the federal government and any burden that comes as a result of Medicaid expansion will come from their bottom line and their ability to create jobs and grow their businesses,” Riley said.
“We commend the strong legislative leadership of Speaker Bill Howell and the Republican House Caucus in holding the line against a policy that threatens Virginia’s economic stability,” she said. “We believe their thoughtful approach to evaluating Virginia’s current Medicaid program to ensure that waste and fraud are eliminated is the prudent way to go.
“NFIB is confident Virginia will make the responsible choice in trying to find the right alternative,” Riley said. “NFIB/Virginia will be reinforcing the strong message sent regarding the opposition to Medicaid expansion to both chambers of the Virginia Legislature and Governor McAuliffe as this important debate continues.”
Governor McAuliffe spoke this month at Business Day at the Capitol, hosted by NFIB/Virginia, the Virginia Retail Merchants Association and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association.
Should an alternative be proposed, NFIB/Virginia will re-survey its members for their input, Riley said.
