The Obamacare repeal vote Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set for Thursday will include gutting Medicaid expansion, and so far it looks like some vulnerable Republicans are leaning toward repeal. Senate Democrats are vowing to hang that vote around their necks for the next year.
Democrats see a campaign ad that writes itself: Sen. X voted just last year to take away health insurance from tens of thousands of constituents."In the states that have [expanded Medicaid], to take it away could cause chaos. So to let ideology overcome practicality is not very good for those senators," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). It "could be a good issue for us." […]
Democrats said that Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Rob Portman of Ohio are among the most vulnerable on the issue, but there are 20 GOP senators representing states that have expanded Medicaid, and half of those senators are up for reelection. And GOP House members like Marlin Stutzman of Indiana and Joe Heck of Nevada who are vying to fill open Senate seats could also face attack ads if they were to vote to approve the package when it comes back to the House.
Republicans like Ayotte and Toomey might be thinking about Kentucky, where voters just went ahead and voted for Republican Matt Bevin for governor, putting aside the possibility of losing Medicaid expansion. Or maybe they think that the fact that President Obama will veto the repeal will save their skins. They're probably thinking wrong. In each of these states, tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people have benefitted from the expansion. Then there are the millions who have health insurance only because of Obamacare. These are people a lot more likely to vote in a presidential election year—in states that aren't Kentucky and don't have a knee jerk reaction against everything Obama.
Of course, Democrats are going to have to follow through on his pledge to make Republicans regret the vote. Voters will only remember what the GOP did if they're reminded—repeatedly—that it happened.
