These Virginians will just to have to keep waiting for free clinics to get health care.

These Virginians will just to have to keep waiting for free clinics to get health care.

After a day-long debate Thursday, Republicans who dominate the House of Delegates shot down a compromise proposal from one of their own, Del. Tom Rust of Fairfax County, to extend coverage under the federal/state health insurance program to as many as 400,000 uninsured Virginians. Lawmakers had come prepared for a two-day session, but they dispatched the issue in one. The vote means Medicaid expansion–Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s top policy goal—is dead for this year.

Never mind that 61 percent of Virginia voters support Medicaid expansion in their state. Their Republican legislature refuses to give it to them. A special session called this week by Gov. Terry McAuliffe intended to try to pass a compromise plan for expansion failed with Republicans refusing to budge.By the end of this year, the state will have missed out on close to $2 billion in federal funds for the expansion and about 400,000 people will remain uninsured. At the same time, the state is paying out about $225 million annually on medical care for vulnerable groups, including the poor and prisoners, who could have been included in the Medicaid expansion. The state has had to slash budgets for state agencies, for education, and in aid to local communities because of poor revenues, some cuts that could have been much less severe had the state accepted Medicaid expansion.

That's political malpractice, nothing less. But it does give Democrats an awfully good issue for November 2015. Too bad hundreds of thousands of Virginians have to suffer in the meantime.