Healthcare has been a hotly-debated topic in recent days, as the U.S. Supreme Court is currently reviewing the legality of the federal healthcare reform. Residents with Virginia health insurance have even more to think about, as the state must make decisions regarding federal control versus health benefit exchanges, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

According to the source, Republican officials in Virginia, including Governor Bob McDonnell, recently blocked health insurance exchange creation legislation. Additionally, state Republican officials have explained that they will wait for the Supreme Court to make its ruling on the national healthcare question before they make final decisions.

Not all are in agreement that this is a smart decision.

"There is a huge amount for Virginia still to do," Jill A. Hanken, an attorney at the Virginia Poverty Law Center, told the news provider. "To get it done by January of 2013 is going to take an extraordinary effort."

Residents without adequate health insurance policies should consider signing up for care soon. Virginia has been vigilantly working to decrease the number of disease-related deaths within the state for more than a decade now, and many efforts have been successful. According to Virginia Performs, a service through the state government, Virginia's death rate from cardiovascular disease decreased every year from 2000 to 2007.