State Election Tallies Deal Blow To Health Law Implementation Efforts
In Kentucky, Gov.-Elect Matt Bevin, a Republican, has made clear that he intends to phase out Kynect, the state’s health insurance exchange, and instead have the state by 2016 use the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Bevin also plans to alter the state's Medicaid expansion by seeking a federal waiver to “customize something for Kentucky.”
The New York Times:
Governor-Elect Pledges To Take Clerks’ Names Off Kentucky Licenses
On Friday, Mr. Bevin, a wealthy businessman who ran with support from the Tea Party movement, repeated his intent to reverse two pillars of Mr. Beshear’s efforts, under the Affordable Care Act, to insure more people. He said he would phase out the state’s health insurance exchange, pushing consumers onto the federal exchange, by the end of 2016. He also said he would phase out the expansion of Medicaid coverage to larger numbers of low-income people — plans that were among the central issues in the campaign. On Medicaid, Mr. Bevin said he wanted a federal waiver to “customize something for Kentucky.” He did not offer details. (Pérez-Peña, 11/6)
The Associated Press:
Bevin To Roll Back Health Reform, Alter Marriage Licenses
Bevin also said Friday he would dismantle kynect, Kentucky's state-run health insurance exchange, by the end of 2016. More than 100,000 people have used kynect to purchase private health insurance plans with the help of federal subsidies. Instead, Bevin wants those people to buy health insurance from an exchange run by the federal government. "(Kynect) adds nothing of value," Bevin said. "It is a redundancy that we as taxpayers in this state are paying for twice." State health officials disagree, arguing kynect was designed specifically for Kentucky and has helped slash the share of uninsured state residents from about 20 percent in 2013 to 9 percent by 2015. But most of that reduction came because more people qualified for the state's expanded Medicaid program. (Beam, 11/6)
Meanwhile, in Virginia -
The Washington Post:
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Says He Has A No-Cost Way To Expand Medicaid
Gov. Terry McAuliffe intends to make another push for Medicaid expansion despite intense opposition from Republicans, who retained full control of the General Assembly in elections last week. McAuliffe (D) said he will pursue a new strategy that he thinks will be more palatable to conservatives — one that he said would allow Virginia to extend health-care benefits to 400,000 uninsured citizens at no cost to the state. (Vozzella, 11/7)
