Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
GOP Statehouse Victories Will Impact Medicaid Expansion, Other Health Issues
The New York Times: With Statehouse Victories, Republicans Are Poised To Enact Changes
With the states acting as laboratories for legislation that cannot advance in Washington, policy changes are likely on a variety of issues. “What they’re going to do now is move forward a Republican set of policies — lower taxes and a focus on job creation,” Mr. Storey said. “It will be much harder to see expansions of Medicaid. And there may be fewer restrictions for gun owners.” (Nagourney and Davey, 11/5)
Kaiser Health News: Republican Gubernatorial Victories Make Medicaid Expansion Unlikely In 5 States
Tuesday’s re-election of Republican governors in closely contested races in Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, Maine and Kansas dims the chances of Medicaid expansion in those states. Advocates hoping for Democratic victories in those states were disappointed by the outcomes, but Alaska, which also has a Republican incumbent, remains in play as an independent challenger holds a narrow lead going into a count of absentee ballots. (Galewitz, 11/5)
Politico: GOP Victories Blunt Hopes Of Medicaid Expansion
The 2014 gubernatorial elections were supposed to sweep in Democrats who would lead the charge for Medicaid expansion in the states. At least that’s how the advocates of expansion saw it. Instead, the Republican incumbents survived, deflating hopes for expansion to cover potentially several million low-income Americans. (Pradhan and Wheaton, 11/5)
CQ Healthbeat: Electoral Outcomes Mean Status Quo On Medicaid Expansion
The Medicaid expansion won’t gain momentum from the outcome of Tuesday’s midterm elections. None of the gubernatorial candidates in key states who would have shifted policy to support a broadening of Medicaid eligibility won. The state watched most closely was Maine, where GOP Gov. Paul LePage was the projected winner. LePage had with 48 percent of the vote against Democratic Rep. Michael Michaud, who got 44 percent by Wednesday afternoon, with 85 percent of the vote in. Eliot Cutler had complicated the race by running as an independent. The Maine legislature has passed a Medicaid expansion five times, but LePage vetoed each of those bills. (Adams, 11/5)
Reuters: Arkansas Alternative To Obamacare On Critical List After Election
The Republican surge in Tuesday's U.S. elections carried Arkansas along with it, threatening to sweep away a bipartisan health insurance plan in the state that is also being studied by other states as an alternative to Obamacare. Republicans had a narrow majority in the state's House of Representatives and several in the party campaigned hard to overturn what is known as the "Private Option," a plan cobbled together by centrists in both parties that has enrolled nearly a quarter-million Arkansans previously without medical coverage. (Barnes, 11/5)
The Associated Press: Election Brings New GOP Power To State Capitols
State capitols across the country will be more Republican than at any point since the Roaring ‘20s when victorious legislators and governors take office next year. That could result in lower taxes and perhaps fewer dollars flowing to social safety net programs. ... Over the past several years, Republicans already have used those majorities to cut taxes, restrict abortions, expand gun rights and limit the powers of public employee unions. ... The Republican victory in Arkansas was the largest since Reconstruction, with GOP candidates sweeping the statewide offices and building upon its legislative majorities. Republicans will have to decide whether to continue a program enacted under Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe that expanded health coverage to more than 200,000 people by using Medicaid money to buy private insurance. (11/5)
