Harvard forum examines U.S. health care ahead of midterms

Friday, November 2, 2018 - 13:20 in Health & Medicine

Though all eyes are on Congress as Election Day looms, U.S. health care may look more like a local issue when the polls close on Tuesday, experts say. That’s because new leaders in states that skipped Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion could extend health insurance to millions of Americans. John McDonough, a professor of the practice of public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, noted that Virginia has already decided to expand the program starting Jan. 1. McDonough listed Maine, Utah, Idaho, and Nebraska as other states where post-Election Day expansion is likely, with Kansas, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Georgia, and Florida dependent on the outcome of races for governor. Medicaid provides health insurance to the poor in all 50 states. The Affordable Care Act sought to expand benefits to those still struggling financially but not poor enough to qualify for the program under its original guidelines. After the Supreme Court ruled...

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