Voters Across The Country Will Weigh Health Law, Drug Prices And More
The national issues in play also include Medicare-for-all, Medicaid expansion, marijuana legalization and soda taxes.
The Guardian:
Has Obamacare Become A Winning Issue For Democrats?
But after their catastrophe of 2016, when Hillary Clinton was criticised for lacking a clear message to compete with “Make America great again”, Democrats realised that a pure anti-Trump message would not be enough. Instead, many have maintained a laser-like focus on a single issue: protecting Americans’ healthcare. “In the midterms they were much more the pro-health insurance party than they were the anti-Trump party,” said Bill Galston, a veteran of six presidential campaigns and now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington. “They worked very hard to avoid what was widely viewed as the mistake of 2016, which was to be seen as too anti-Trump.” (Smith, 11/6)
Stat:
In These Eight Midterms Races, Health And Medicine Are Front And Center
In Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah, voters will directly decide whether their states should expand their Medicaid programs. In Wisconsin, they could elect a candidate for governor who has pledged to sharply curtail drug prices. And across the country, Democratic congressional candidates are running on platforms highlighting their support for protecting insurance coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and lowering drug prices. Health care is on the ballot across the country, with issues ranging from medical marijuana to abortion rights to insurance coverage dominating the conversation. (Facher, 11/6)
The Hill:
Pelosi Urges Dems To 'Push' Health Care Message Day Before Midterms
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) urged Democrats to hone in on the issue of health care ahead of the midterm elections Tuesday. "I write to acknowledge the vital role Congressional Democrats played in protecting the Affordable Care Act and exposing the GOP’s monstrous health care agenda – and I urge all of us to continue to push this message in the next 24 hours," Pelosi wrote in a letter to House Democrats. (Hellmann, 11/5)
And, more on the ballot initiatives and key health issues -- like drug pricing, vaccinations and Medicare-for-all -- on which voters will get a say today —
CNN:
Your Health Is On The Ballot In The Midterm Election
Voters in 37 states will have more than candidates to choose in Tuesday's election. There are more than 150 statewide measures on ballots this midterm election, and several involve health-related issues such as Medicaid expansion, marijuana, abortion, grocery taxes and charges related to drug use and possession. (Christensen, 11/5)
Stat:
As Election Day Nears, Pharma Spends More Heavily On Democrats
In the final weeks before Tuesday’s midterm elections, the pharmaceutical industry’s campaign donations have begun flowing heavily and unexpectedly in a new direction: toward Democrats. The party received a full 63 percent of the industry’s campaign contributions reported in the first half of October, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. That’s a new trend to cap off a tumultuous election cycle: Up to this point, just over half of drug industry money has flowed toward Republicans, and the GOP has received substantially more campaign cash from the pharmaceutical and health products industry in the past decade. (Facher, 11/6)
Wired:
How Antivax PACs Helped Shape Midterm Ballots
In other hotbeds of anti-vaccine sentiment, centrist conservatives who’ve championed similar bills have also been conspicuously missing from this year’s midterm ballots. Replacing them are candidates backed by well-financed organizations made up of members who either entertain the fraudulent science linking vaccines to autism, who believe their kids have had adverse vaccine reactions, or think the government shouldn’t dictate what goes in their children’s bodies. (Molteni, 11/5)
California Healthline:
Beyond The Buzz: What Do Americans Mean By ‘Medicare-For-All’?
California Healthline's news analysis on "Medicare-for-all" sparks a broader conversation ahead of the midterm elections. (11/6)
California Healthline:
Soda Industry Steals Page From Tobacco To Combat Taxes On Sugary Drinks
In the run-up to the midterm elections, the soda industry has poured millions of dollars into fighting taxes on sugary drinks, an increasingly popular approach to combating obesity, which affects 40 percent of American adults. Soda makers have campaigned against sugary drink taxes in dozens of cities in recent years, mostly successfully. ... Soda makers also have cultivated close relationships with doctors, scientists and professional societies, including the Obesity Society and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Both groups say there’s not enough evidence to know if sugar taxes are effective. (Szabo, 11/6)