Medicaid expansion gets extra boost from governor races

Medicaid expansion advocates are looking to capitalize off their midterm victories by potentially adding Kansas and Wisconsin to their list of recent wins.

Voters in three deep-red states voted to extend coverage to low-income adults, and those wins could spur expansion efforts next year in Wisconsin and Kansas, where Democratic candidates won governor's races.

“I think the midterms were great news on Medicaid and expansion,” said Patti Boozang, a consultant with Manatt Health. “It’s validation that people really want expansion in their state.”

Boozang said lawmakers in non-expansion states are going to be hard-pressed to hold out in the future.