Can Medicaid expansion bring people to the polls in 2014?
Also, would newly-insured people go to the polls if they thought the Republicans would repeal or do away with their insurance once they regain power? Do they have a dog in this fight this time around? You bet your ass, they do!
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http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/24/1280009/-Can-Medicaid-expansion-bring-people-to-the-polls-in-2014?detail=facebook
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Medicaid expansion is very popular, particularly among the people Democrats need to get turned out: "63 percent of Louisianans favored Medicaid expansion and, generally across the South, support was higher in key Democratic groups: 85 percent of blacks, 66 percent of women and 66 percent of voters ages 18 to 24. Where putting it on the ballot could also really help—if state Democrats are organized enough—is in the legislative races in these states. Keeping the U.S. Senate Democratic is critical, but so is building Democratic state legislatures.
There are plenty of natural allies for Democrats at the state and local level for this. The number one ally: the medical community and in particular hospitals who see greater risks and costs for having to treat the uninsured who fall into the Medicaid gap. That risk goes beyond just the uninsured, though, because if a local hospital closes because of lack of Medicaid funding, everyone in the community suffers. This is a potent economic issue, one that Democratic candidates at every level should be running on.
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