A recent Vox article, focusing on the Biden Administration's attempts to convince Republican governors and legislators to expand Medicaid in states that have not yet done so, also contains polling data on Medicaid Expansion from eight states (out of the 12 total) not currently participating (link). At least a plurality, if not an outright majority, supports expansion in all of these states. These states (with their support levels, ordered from greatest to least) are Kansas (55%), Georgia (55%), North Carolina (53%), Florida (52%), Texas (52%), Wisconsin (52%), South Carolina (50%), and Alabama (45%). Note that sizable proportions of respondents (17-23%) are undecided in each state, so opposition in the states (23-37%) is well below support.
Saturday, March 6, 2021
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
Lessons from 2009-2010 ACA Public Opinion for Biden's 2021 Agenda
Noting the similarities between 2009 and 2021 -- a new Democratic president taking office with an ambitious policy agenda and his party holding majorities in the House and Senate -- Dan Hopkins examines what lessons President Biden and the Democrats might learn for this year's policy debates (e.g., new COVID-19 economic-relief legislation) from the public's reaction to President Obama's rollout of the Affordable Care Act in 2009-2010. Hopkins focuses on a few major themes, such as how, when a bill has numerous provisions (as the ACA did), the public will likely focus on controversial and unpopular facets of the legislation, rather than its popular parts.
Thursday, February 4, 2021
Status of Obamacare as Biden Replaces Trump
This Vox article from the eve of President Biden's inauguration provides a good overview of where things stand at the moment with the 2010 Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). The obvious news is that the law survived the Trump presidency largely intact, but there remain some court cases on aspects of it.