Election Ensures More Americans Will Have Access to Healthcare as Three Red States Approve Medicaid

Red state voters seem to be embracing the Affordable Care Act and its Medicaid expansion component. Voters approved ballot initiatives in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah to expand the number of individuals covered under Medicaid.

Additionally, new Democratic Governor Janet Mills has promised to enact Medicaid expansion in Maine, where it's been blocked for years.

Portland Press Herald: [Former Republican Governor] "LePage also five times vetoed bills that would have expanded the state’s Medicaid system to an additional 70,000 low-income Mainers. He has stalled implementation of expansion, which voters finally approved at the ballot-box in November 2017, by vetoing funding and taking legal action."

"Democrats and Mills campaigned largely on access to affordable health care, and Mills has vowed to enacted the Medicaid expansion during her first days in office."

And by electing Democrat Governors in Kansas and Wisconsin, voters signaled that they approved of expansion in those states as well.

Axios: "Democrats also won hard-fought gubernatorial races in Kansas and Wisconsin, putting expansion at least on the table in those 2 states — Kansas especially."

"Kansas' state legislature approved Medicaid expansion in 2017, only to have it vetoed by Gov. Sam Brownback. Extending the program was a big part of Gov.-elect Laura Kelly's campaign."

"Tony Evers, who defeated Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, also campaigned on a platform that included Medicaid expansion."

Medicaid expansion was made possible by the Affordable Care Act [Obamacare] and the growing popularity of this component of the law, even in conservative states, will make any future attempts by Republicans to repeal the Act even more difficult. That's good news for tens of millions of Americans.

#ACA #healthcareinsurance #news