This forwarding looking proposal is about increasing health access for Virginians. 

 It increases access by expanding the availability of state-sponsored health insurance for a relatively small group of eligible Virginians, paid for by the insured individuals. These are two worthy goals: to increase health access, while not adding stress to an already stressed state budget.

 All Virginians likely know one or more friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers/colleagues who do not have health insurance, or effective health access when they need care. 

 Our society is in a current debate about what it means for some Americans/Virginians to have health access, while many millions more of our neighbors go without care, delay care that is critically needed, end up in expensive emergency rooms or hospitalizations because they did not have access to early care, and – by some measures – meet early death because of this lack of health access.  These are adults, and these are children.

 Theses are facts found at the website of the Virginia Health Care Foundation, at http://www.vhcf.org/uninsured/profile.php

 My family is from rural Virginia, where we have lived  as hard working farmers, tradesmen, teachers, nurses, etc, who support their churches and communities.  And, we always vote (that was a family ritual, that all the children now follow).  We know that all Virginians worth their salt are concerned about the health and wellbeing of their neighbors.  We support increasing health access to more Virginians at a reasonable cost.

 This is a forwarding looking and very reasonable proposal that we support.