Governor Glenn Youngkin received praise on Wednesday in a commercial celebrating his decision to amend a bill critics argue would have allowed illegal immigrants to receive free healthcare by expanding a federal program.
As passed by lawmakers, SB 119 would expand the federal 340B program that was designed for hospitals to buy drugs at discounted prices in order to provide healthcare to low-income individuals.
While formed to aid low-income earners, critics argue the program is rife with abuse, with ghost hospitals receiving thousands despite seeing no patients, and allows illegal immigrants to receive healthcare that taxpayers effectively subsidizes.
After detractors urged him to veto the legislation, Youngkin amended SB 119 last week.
The governor’s changes to the bill would require the General Assembly to pass key parts of the legislation again in 2025 before enforcement would commence. Youngkin also seeks to create an oversight board to monitor how federal funding is used.
Healthcare consulting news website 340B Report said health centers denounced Youngkin’s changes.
Building America’s Future, a conservative nonprofit, released a 30-second commercial praising Youngkin’s changes on Wednesday.
The political ad will reportedly air in Kansas, Missouri, and Mississippi, where The Hill explained that state lawmakers are considering similar measures to expand 340B.
“It used to be only blue states going along, now the left is getting conservatives to do their dirty work in strengthening 340B,” said the ad’s narrator.
The ad continued, “But Glenn Youngkin stood strong in Virginia, and others can still fight back.”
Health care for illegals has always been a part of the radical left's plan. @GovernorVA stood in their way by rejecting 340b expansion in Virginia- other Republicans should do the same and say no to health care for illegal immigrants. pic.twitter.com/iFjWpKreWt
— Building America's Future (@bldgUSAfuture) April 10, 2024
The legislation to expand 340B was one of 116 bills amended by the governor. Youngkin signed the majority of the 1,046 bills he was given by the General Assembly, giving signatures to 777 while vetoing an additional 153.
In a statement released late last week, Youngkin said the legislation he signed “has necessarily been bipartisan,” a nod to the fact the General Assembly remains narrowly controlled by Democrats following Republican losses in the November 2023 elections.
The governor said of his amendments, “Where there are differences in our approaches, I hope my amendments reflect the common ground we can find together.”
Polling released last month suggested signing SB 119, at least as lawmakers wrote it, could have made Virginia Republicans less likely to support Youngkin in future races.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
