Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Prospects For More States To Expand Medicaid Grow As Democrats Run Even In Some Governors Races
Politico: Red State Governor Races Could Bring Medicaid Expansion To Millions
Georgia’s neck-and-neck governor’s race is one of at least half a dozen where a Democratic supporter of Medicaid expansion has a fighting chance of replacing a Republican who opposes it. Competitive races in Florida, Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma and South Dakota could also flip the status of those holdout states that have so far refused Obamacare's Medicaid expansion — though Republican legislatures are not likely to make it easy. (Ollstein, 10/29)
The Hill: Study: Democrats Could Expand Medicaid To Millions If They Win Six Key Governor's Races
Nearly 2.5 million people could gain access to Medicaid coverage if Democrats win gubernatorial elections in six states next Tuesday and expand the program to cover more low-income adults, according to a new analysis released Tuesday. If Republicans lose competitive gubernatorial races in Florida, Georgia, Kansas, South Dakota, Maine and Wisconsin next Tuesday, it would present Democrats with the rare opportunity to expand Medicaid in those states to 2.4 million people, according to the analysis by Avalere health, a consulting firm in Washington. (Hellmann, 10/30)
Modern Healthcare: Bullish Post-Election Medicaid Expansion Outlook May Not Match End Result
Up to 2.7 million people across nine states could soon get added to Medicaid rolls depending on next week's midterm elections, according to a new analysis. Healthcare consulting firm Avalere's predictions showcase the increasingly bullish national outlook for Medicaid expansion. But those programs could look very different state by state .... "I go back to every state is different: If you've seen one Medicaid program, you've seen one Medicaid program," said Ethan James of the Georgia Hospital Association. "Same with an expansion: Every state would do it differently." (Luthi, 10/30)
The Washington Post: Why Are Red States About To Adopt Obamacare?
The battle to expand Medicaid in Utah is being waged from a small, three-desk office in a downtown high-rise, by three women in their 20s and 50 or so volunteers. If they succeed and Utah's Proposition 3 passes, one of the reddest states will embrace the Affordable Care Act. Last week, the “Yes on 3" team was signing off on its final handouts and informational fliers, their measure cruising close to 60 percent in the polls. An electorate that's expected to elect Republican Mitt Romney to the Senate is also, increasingly, expected to approve a small tax to fund health-care coverage. (Weigel, 10/30)
The Hill: GOP Idaho Governor Endorses Medicaid Expansion
Idaho’s Republican Gov. Butch Otter on Tuesday endorsed a ballot initiative that would expand Medicaid eligibility to thousands of people. “Proposition 2 is an Idaho-grown solution,” Otter said in a newly released ad by Idahoans for Healthcare, a group pushing for Medicaid expansion. "Vote yes on Proposition 2. It’s the right thing for Idaho." (Weixel, 10/30)
The Washington Post: Republican Governor Of Idaho Backs Ballot Measure Expanding Medicaid
The Republican governor of Idaho gave advocates of expanding Medicaid a significant lift Tuesday, coming out in favor of the Obamacare policy just a week before voters in the state decide on its fate. The question of whether to grow the low-income health-care program to cover more people is on ballots in three deep-red states — Idaho, Utah and Nebraska — where conservative legislatures didn’t choose expansion. Outgoing Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter, a conservative with an independent streak, announced his support and cut an ad for Idahoans for Healthcare, an organization advocating for expansion. (Itkowitz, 10/30)
