300,000 Virginians newly covered through Medicaid expansion

ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Just over 300,000 low-income Virginia adults have enrolled in the state’s expanded Medicaid program.

Gov. Ralph Northam made the announcement Wednesday at a health center in Alexandria.

State officials have previously estimated that roughly 400,000 adults would be newly eligible for Medicaid under the expansion lawmakers approved last year.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources Daniel Carey said in a news release that Virginia’s newly enrolled Medicaid members are already taking advantage of the cover. He said that more than 229,100 newly eligible adults had received some type of health service, whether it’s going to the doctor or filling a prescription.

The news release from the governor’s office also says nearly two-thirds of new members reported going without medical care in the year prior to receiving health coverage.