ROANOKE, Va.- – More people in the commonwealth have access to health coverage starting today.
That's because Virginia joins 32 other states in expanding Medicaid coverage. This will give more adults between the ages of 19 and 64 access to quality low-cost and no-cost health insurance.
"It's been a long process but is fantastic. Over the past couple months, there's been open enrollment. And 200,000 Virginians have already been signed up into Medicaid and have health care coverage and many others, for the first time ever, starting today. And we still have another couple hundred thousand to go," said Delegate Sam Rasoul.
Rasoul said people who need coverage in Roanoke City will benefit more than people in any other locality in Virginia.
"Roanoke actually has one of the highest Medicaid populations per capita. So we had the greatest need. We are the third largest out of 100 districts. And so we had over 6,000 people just in Roanoke City who needed Medicaid," said Rasoul.
Open enrollment started in November and will happen on a continuous cycle. Coverva.org is the website you can use to see if you qualify for Medicaid coverage.