VA Governor Thwarted in Effort to Expand Medicaid

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe is cutting back on his efforts to expand Medicaid healthcare coverage for poor Virginians in the face of strong opposition from Republican legislators, the New York Times reports. The governor has called it '''unconscionable' that such a wealthy state could not provide health care for its needy." The state constitution forbids spending without legislative approval, leading the governor to issue modest orders Monday to cover 20,000 people with severe mental illness and 5,000 kids of low-income state workers.