November 20, 2019

Lessons from Louisiana?

One of the more interesting news stories in the last few days was the reelection of Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards. It was a state that went heavily for Trump in 2016 and he campaigned heavily there before the election.

As was the case in Kentucky's race, a key factor was Medicaid expansion. Kentucky's Bevin tried to undo a lot of that state's progress in expanding health care (around 400,000) by imposing draconian reporting requirements that would have cut off tens of thousands. Edwards made the decision to expand Medicaid in his previous term, where it now covers around 500,000 people.

Here's an interesting take on the politics of Medicaid and what it might mean for the future. Sample quote: "In the last two years, Obamacare in general — and Medicaid expansion, in particular — have begun paying political dividends."

I'm reminded of a quote from the Psalms, "The stone the builder refused has become the chief cornerstone."