Health Care and Abortion Access

Jenn’s Perspective

Jenn also knows that access to quality health care is out of reach for too many Virginians. As a legislator, Jenn has fought to expand access to high quality, affordable health care, including preventative, reproductive, and mental health care. She passed the law that created a state exchange under Obamacare. And she passed landmark legislation that repealed unnecessary restrictions on abortion access, and made Virginia the first state in the South to proactively expand abortion access.

As a member of Congress, Jenn will continue to make access to a high-quality, affordable, comprehensive health care system available to everyone – from our newborn Virginians to those 50 and older- while also protecting the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship from undue government interference. Jenn will work to ensure that access to mental health and reproductive health resources are part of a comprehensive health care system.

Jenn’s Record

As the first member of the House of Delegates to be pregnant while in office, Jenn has been a fierce advocate for protecting access to reproductive care and supports for new mothers. Jenn:

Led the passage of the Reproductive Health Protection Act, the first proactive expansion of abortion rights in Virginia history, which eliminated mandatory ultrasounds, 24-hour waiting periods, and TRAP laws
Received the 2020 Planned Parenthood Votes South Atlantic’s Legislative Leadership & Courage Award, and the 2020 NARAL of Virginia’s Legislator of the Year Award for her work advancing access to reproductive care
Expanded access to birth control
Carried the bill to make Virginia the first state in the South to remove the ban on abortion coverage for health insurance plans offered through the health benefits exchange
Expanded nursing protections and supported Medicaid access for new mothers for the first full year after birth, and funding for home visiting programs for pregnant and postpartum care

In the General Assembly, Jenn has worked tirelessly to address health care disparities and expand access to care and coverage for Virginians. Jenn has:

Worked to expand access to and lower the cost of prescription drugs and expand access to preventative, reproductive, behavioral, and long-term care for all Virginians while making the health care system easier to understand and navigate
Created the Virginia Health Benefits Exchange under the Affordable Care Act, which will provide more affordable health insurance for approximately 300,000 Virginians
Led the fight for years to successfully expand Medicaid coverage to over 400,000 Virginians and has worked to expand services and reimbursement rates for providers
Cosponsored legislation to improve health insurance coverage for families whose children have been diagnosed with autism

Over the course of her legislative career, Jenn has emphasized the need for increased investment, destigmatization and decriminalization of mental health. In the General Assembly, Jenn:

Supported the creation, implementation, and $5.3 million dollars in funding for the STEP- VA program designed to improve the quality of community behavioral services in 2017; and an additional $30.2 million for fiscal year 2022 for STEP-VA, to address Accountability, Access, Quality, and Consistency across all Community Services Boards (CSBs) and to enable CSBs statewide to deliver, at a minimum, nine standard services plus care
Patroned a landmark justice reform bill that will make the criminal justice system more equitable for individuals with mental illness, autism, or developmental/intellectual disabilities by allowing evidence of their conditions to be presented during hearings
Patroned legislation directing the Board of Education to review and update the Standards of Learning for students to include mental health
Supported $1.6 million in funding to establish the Behavioral Health Loan Repayment Program to help increase behavioral health providers by coordinated efforts to recruit and retain providers in the Commonwealth