Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Even If Louisiana Governor Is Ousted By GOP Rival, His Hallmark Medicaid Expansion Likely Isn't Going Anywhere
The Associated Press: Louisiana Governor Election Won't Uproot Medicaid Expansion
Louisiana's Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, moved quickly to expand Medicaid when he took office in 2016, making his state the only one in the Deep South to embrace that signature piece of President Barack Obama's health care law. And in a conservative state that solidly supports President Donald Trump, the $3 billion-plus Medicaid expansion program that is Edwards' hallmark achievement isn't going anywhere, even if the Democratic governor is ousted by a Republican in this fall's election. (DeSlatte, 9/18)
Raleigh News & Observer: Republicans Seek Medicaid Expansion Bill After NC Budget Vote
The topic at the heart of the summerlong state budget standoff — Medicaid expansion — is getting renewed attention after state House Republicans surprised Democrats with a budget vote while most of them were absent. NC Health Care for Working Families, House Bill 655, was added to the House floor calendar on July 9, at the same time as the budget override veto. The issues were tied together: Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed the budget primarily because it did not expand Medicaid as the Obama-era Affordable Care Act allows and as 36 states and the District of Columbia have decided to do. House Republicans offered a bill that they said would be considered along with the override, as a way to address Medicaid expansion without passing the full expansion that Cooper and Democrats want. (Vaughan, 9/18)
North Carolina Health News: Medicaid Expansion Bill Passes Commiittee
After years of waiting, advocates for extending health insurance to hundreds of thousands of low-income North Carolinians finally saw a bill cross the starting line at the state legislature. House Bill 655 would allow for people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to receive subsidies on the health insurance online marketplace to get access to insurance through the Medicaid program. The Health Care for Working Families Act would charge people who fall into the “coverage gap,” earning between 50 and 133 percent of the federal poverty level (from about $6,200 to $16,611 per year for an individual) to pay small premiums and copays in order to receive coverage. (Hoban, 9/19)
