Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe plans to expand public health care to 20,000 mentally ill adult residents. But he will not try a large-scale unilateral expansion of the state's Medicaid program.

McAuliffe said Monday at a Capitol news conference that he wants to target his efforts to provide health care for the neediest of the state's 1 million uninsured.

The governor also plans outreach efforts to help enroll many of the state's uninsured into existing programs and to provide dental care for about 45,000 pregnant women who already receive publicly funded health care.

McAuliffe had previously promised to expand Medicaid to about 400,000 eligible low-income adults using mostly federal funds. He was blocked by the Republican-controlled General Assembly earlier this year.

Here is the news release:

Today Governor McAuliffe launched A Healthy Virginia, a 10-step plan to expand healthcare services to over 200,000 Virginians. This plan is an unprecedented action by any governor in Virginia history and includes authorizations of four emergency regulations, one executive order, and innovative and creative solutions to expand healthcare to Virginia veterans, children, and families.

As governor, there is no greater responsibility than ensuring the health and safety of the citizens you serve. That is why I am so proud to stand here today and unveil A Healthy Virginia a plan that will improve the lives of more than 200,000 citizens throughout the Commonwealth, said Governor McAuliffe. Through my plan, I am taking action by authorizing 4 emergency regulations and issuing 1 executive order that will address urgent health needs and put us on a pathway toward Building a New Virginia Economy. However, these steps are just the beginning, and we must continue to press forward together to achieve better health for all of our citizens.

Governor McAuliffes Plan: A Healthy Virginia governor.virginia.gov/media/3096/a-healthy-virginia-report-final.pdf

Step 1: Covering people with serious mental illness The Governor will launch the Governors Access Plan, or GAP, to make sure real health care reforms reach our neediest citizens. This new and innovative plan will provide medical and behavioral health care to approximately 20,000 uninsured Virginians with severe mental illnesses. Under Virginia Code Section 2.2-4011, Governor McAuliffe will authorize his staff to start the emergency regulation process and work with CMS on the needed waiver for this coverage.

Step 2: Improve the coordination of care for adults and children who are already covered by Medicaid and have a serious mental illness Governor McAuliffe is authorizing the Department of Medical Assistance Services to issue regulations to establish health homes for individuals with severe mental illness. These health homes are not physical spaces, but instead, are a model of care in which all of an individuals primary, acute, behavioral, and long-term care services are coordinated and integrated. By implementing this program with minimal investment, Virginia can get a 90 percent match rate of federal money. This is a fiscally responsible step that will provide 13,000 of the neediest Virginians the quality care they need.

Go here to see the original:

Gov. McAuliffe announces limited health care expansion