Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid To See Biggest Enrollment Bump Since Health Law Allowed Expansion In 2014 With Nearly 800K More Eligible
Politico: Tuesday's Big Winner: Obamacare's Medicaid Expansion
The elections will usher in the program’s largest growth since Obamacare’s early days, after Republican leaders in those states resisted the optional program for years. Democratic victories in Kansas, Maine and Wisconsin gubernatorial races could soon put those states in the expansion column, and voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah easily approved initiatives adopting the program. (Pradhan and Ollstein, 11/7)
The New York Times: Idaho, Nebraska And Utah Vote To Expand Medicaid
Despite the uncertainty and partisan gridlock that Tuesday’s election results ensure, one policy change seems guaranteed: hundreds of thousands more poor Americans in red states will qualify for free health coverage through Medicaid. Voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah, which President Trump won easily in 2016, approved ballot initiatives to expand the government insurance program under the Affordable Care Act. Democratic victories in governors’ races also improved the chances of Medicaid expansion in Kansas and Wisconsin, and all but ensured it in Maine. As a result, Medicaid could see its biggest enrollment bump since the health law began allowing expansion in 2014. (Goodnough, 11/7)
The Hill: Utah Voters Approve ObamaCare's Medicaid Expansion For Low-Income Adults
Utah voters on Tuesday approved a measure expanding Medicaid coverage to thousands of low-income adults, circumventing Republican lawmakers who have opposed the policy for years. The measure raises the state sales tax to fund the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to those making 138 percent or less of the federal poverty level — about $17,000 for an individual and $25,000 for a family of four. (Hellmann, 11/7)
NPR: Medicaid Expansion Passes In Idaho, Nebraska And Utah
"People are enthusiastic about Medicaid expansion because they recognize that it's both good for health care but it's also a compassionate thing to do," says Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, which worked to get the questions on the ballots of the four states. "And it's a financially sound thing to do. It's a fiscally responsible thing to do." (Kodjak, 11/7)
The Washington Post: Three Deep Red States Vote To Expand Medicaid
In addition, Maine voters elected Democrat Janet Mills as governor, clearing the path for a Medicaid expansion that voters approved by referendum a year ago. The outgoing GOP governor, Paul LePage, has been an ardent foe of the expansion and had blocked it for a year, leading to a court battle. (Goldstein, 11/7)
Kaiser Health News: Midterm Election Boosts Medicaid Expansion, But Challenges Remain
It wasn’t a clean sweep, however, for Medicaid on Tuesday. In preliminary results, a ballot issue to fund Montana’s Medicaid expansion — which is already in place and slated to expire next July — was failing. Tobacco companies had mounted a campaign to stop the measure, which would have partially financed the expansion with taxes on tobacco products. The Montana legislature and the Democratic governor are expected to address the issue in the session that starts in January. No state has reversed its Medicaid expansion, even though GOP governors in Kansas and Arkansas have threatened to do so. (Galewitz, 11/8)
Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Expansion Scores Election Wins And Losses Across The Country
Overall, the outcome of Tuesday's Medicaid ballot initiatives and some of the governors' races pleased healthcare providers and patient advocacy groups, who predicted greater access to needed healthcare services and a significant decline in uncompensated care. Advocates view these election successes as a springboard to expanding Medicaid in nearly all 50 states and providing coverage to millions more Americans. Up to now, the single-biggest factor in winning expansion in resistant states like Louisiana and Virginia has been the election of a governor who supports it. Polls consistently show majority public support for expansion, even in the most conservative states. (Meyer, 11/7)
Maine Public: Maine's Governor-Elect Vows To Expand Medicaid, Address Climate Change
Maine Governor-elect Janet Mills says improving health care will be a top priority when she takes office in January. Mills made an appearance Wednesday morning at Becky’s Diner in Portland, where she also said she would follow through on promises to address the opioid epidemic and climate change. Inside Becky’s Diner, Mills got a warm greeting from former state legislator and political strategist Pat Eltman, who hugged Mills as she passed by. Eltman said the win was a long time coming. "It's a really big deal for women in the state and how hard we've worked for this our whole careers.” Standing outside Becky’s Diner in front of a group of reporters, Mills doubled down on a campaign promise to address health care issues. (Arnold, 11/7)
And how will new lawmakers and governors impact the Medicaid debate in Kansas, Texas and Wisconsin —
The Associated Press: New Kansas Governor Faces Skeptical GOP-Led Legislature
Democrat Laura Kelly promised a new tone of bipartisanship after a victory in the Kansas governor's race brought her national attention. She faces a Republican-dominated Legislature with leaders who call her proposals impractical and vow to hold her to a pledge not to raise taxes. ... Kelly wants Kansas to expand its Medicaid health coverage in line with the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act, something Brownback and Colyer stymied. Voters in Republican-leaning Idaho and Nebraska, approved expansions Tuesday. "It's long past time to expand Medicaid," Kelly said. (11/7)
Houston Chronicle: Despite Dem Hopes Of Sweeping Health Care Change, Texas Said No
Even as health worries supposedly topped voter priorities, when the final ballots were counted in Texas, voters opted for status quo. Don't look for much to change in the state. Republican incumbents Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick handily dispatched their Democrat opponents Tuesday, all but guaranteeing that Texas will not expand Medicaid, the government health care program for the poor, anytime soon. (Deam, 11/7)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos Threatens To Limit Power Of Tony Evers
One of his goals is to take hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal aid under the Affordable Care Act to expand BagderCare, the state's Medicaid program that provides health careto low-income people. Under such an arrangement, the state could cover more people and free up state taxpayer funds for other purposes. [Robin] Vos said last month he would never go along with such a plan. (Marley and Beck,11/7)
The New York Times: When Medicaid Expands, More People Vote
Obamacare didn’t just give more people health insurance. It also caused more people to vote. That’s the conclusion of a new body of evidence that strongly suggests that giving people coverage through expansions of the Medicaid program increases their likelihood of participating in the next election. Medicaid expansions seem to raise both voter registration and voter participation, at least temporarily. (Sanger-Katz, 11/8)
