Healthcare was a big selling point for Democratic politicians this year ….
Then came the Covid-19 virus….
Which has infected human’s and government budgets….
The question on Healthcare expansion may come down simple economics ….
States ARE LOSING tax revenue due to the restrictions the virus has made them have…..
The money they have set aside for other things is being used pay more services they have had to use for healthcare personnel ….
Some states and local governments where tapped out from the political protests this year already….
Will the Biden admin and the incoming Congress be able to figure out a way to keep the promise of more healthcare coverage thru Obamacare and Medicaid expansion….
Without Trump as President?
Republicans no longer want to spend money for much of anything….
Democratic state officials have big plans for expanding health insurance coverage. The problem is, their states are broke.
The pandemic brought on massive budget gaps that will likely force Democratic state officials to scale back their most ambitious coverage plans when many legislatures convene for new sessions in the coming weeks. Plans to create a state-led public option or join Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion become tougher sells when states are also confronting budget crunches that have their officials contemplating deep cuts to public services.
Democratic state officials say there’s still urgency to expand coverage, given that millions have lost health insurance because of the pandemic and many more are struggling to afford medical bills. Though President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to expand on Obamacare, he will face resistance from Republicans in a divided Congress — meaning that states’ efforts could become even more important for supporters of broader government coverage.
“The collision of budgets and Covid will make it hard to think creatively, but budget crises create opportunities,” said Trish Riley, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy.
Legislators in several blue states who are advocating for a government-run public option to compete with private insurers — a centerpiece of Biden’s health plan — say they’re shrinking their legislation amid two major obstacles. Tight budgets will make it hard to advance new subsidies to help enough people buy into a new public option, and hospitals’ frontline role against the virus makes it politically difficult to pursue stronger cost controls that are typically paired with public option proposals….