Medicaid Expansion: Wisconsin’s ‘Third Way’; Virginia’s Health Secretary Could Ease Path
News outlets report on various developments related to two state efforts to expand the health insurance program for low-income people.
The Wall Street Journal: A Medicaid Bet In Wisconsin
If Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ever runs for president, expect him to talk about his "third way" for Medicaid—a plan that rejects part of President Barack Obama's health law while extending coverage to more poor in the state. It is a fine line to walk for Mr. Walker, who could face a tough re-election fight next year. But his stance shows how one battle-tested Republican is trying to appeal to voters and respect conservatives' distaste for the Affordable Care Act (Peters and Radnofsky, 12/18).
The Washington Post: McAuliffe To Reappoint McDonnell’s Health Secretary, Bill Hazel
Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe will keep Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's health secretary as his own, a choice that could help the new governor sell Medicaid expansion to wary Republicans but that also infuriates some abortion rights activists. ... As a highly regarded health-policy expert and holdover from a GOP administration, [William A. Hazel Jr.] could be an asset to McAuliffe in the uphill battle that is his top priority: persuading Republican state lawmakers to expand Medicaid under the federal health-care law known as Obamacare (Vozzella, 12/18).
