Medicine by teleconference, McDonnell signs bill

Gov. Bob McDonnell Monday signed a new state law mandating that health insurers provide coverage for medical services delivered to more remote areas of Virginia via video or audio conferencing capabilities.

The teleconference bill, McDonnell said during a news conference in Richmond, will help connect Virginians with medical professionals in offices far from where they live for consultations about their well being.

"Telemedicine brings the best doctors into every clinic and hospital in our commonwealth at the click of a mouse," he said.

Afterwards, the governor spoke with reporters on a number of topics:

- The letter he received last week from an anti-government group calling for his resignation . . .

"I think there are people in all parts of the political spectrum that are doing some things that are not reflective of the highest ideals of American democracy: threats, actual acts of violence against members of Congress, governors. Our solutions are at the ballot box and in the legislature. That's the way we do things in America," McDonnell said. "But look, I have opted not to resign even though they have given that option to all 50 governors. And I feel plenty secure and we're going on doing all the things people have elected me to do."

- His action to remove Virginia from a national wind coalition . . .

"They sent out a letter with my name on it that I didn't approve, never saw. That's the problem. Secondly, the contents of the letter said that all the governors that were signatories were supportive of a mandatory (renewable energy standard) that I am not. So that's the problem. I am fully supportive of pursuing offshore wind energy."

- A proposal presently stalled in Congress to extend federal unemployment benefits . . .

"I think in the short-run, things like extending money for unemployment benefits and for . . . Medicaid money  . . . I think those would be helpful because we have a short-term problem. But if we don't create new economic activity in the next 6-12 months and we have this sustained economic downturn then we're looking at horrific additons to both state and federal debt and that's not what we want. So the whole focus has got to be on job creation."

- His reaction to the Washington Redskins' acquisition of NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb . . .

"I was really hoping they'd get my favorite Notre Dame quarterback, Jimmy Clausen. I think he's got a lot of potential to turn the Redskins around," McDonnell said.

"I've been a 35-year Redskins fan, I just want them to win, whoever's playing quarterback," added the governor, a University of Notre Dame grad whose wife, First Lady Maureen McDonnell, is a former Redskins cheerleader.

-- Julian Walker

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