The VSA Board of Directors chose Senator Emmett Hanger as the 2020 VSA Legislator of the Year. Senator Hanger joined our board meeting on January 8th so that we could formally thank him for his work.
VSA chose Senator Hanger for this award because he carried the budget amendment to increase the Medicaid reimbursement rates for anesthesiologists to 70% of Medicare. Because of his leadership on this issue, we were successful in the 2020 special legislative session and received the funding for this in the budget.
The Senator has always been a champion for health care providers and our patients. He was instrumental in the historic passage of Medicaid Expansion in 2018, which expanded access to health care for hundreds of thousands of Virginians. Senator Hanger also understands that for Medicaid Expansion to be successful, we need to ensure there are enough providers to treat patients. As a result, he led the initial effort in 2019 to increase physician reimbursement rates.
Senator Hanger has represented the 24th Senate District since 1996, which includes Waynesboro, Staunton, Augusta, Greene, Madison and parts of Rockingham and Culpeper counties. Before that, he served in the House of Delegates for multiple terms.
Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists appreciates the Senator’s advocacy on our behalf and we look forward to eventually honoring him in person!