It’s a new day for health care politics and policy, and more generally our fundamental democracy, across our state and nation in the wake of yesterday’s midterm elections. There is now a check on unlimited one-party power in Washington, and immediate threats to existing health care programs are not very likely for the foreseeable future. We now have a chance to improve and build on them instead, and not just defend them.  That said, we will also have to keep our eye on moves by the Trump administration to undermine the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces and consumer protections (such as pre-existing condition coverage, and 10 Essential Health Benefits), and it’s efforts to limit reproductive rights, and to transform Medicaid into a welfare-style program.

Nationally, three “red” states voted to expand their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act:  Idaho, Utah, and Nebraska.  In addition, changes in state goverment leadership in several other states will likely lead them to expand Medicaid too:  Wisconsin, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada and Maine …and possibly Georgia.

Turning to New York State, there’s a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the Legislature, particularly in the Senate. This new politcal landscape will provide new opportunities for our state to continue our long tradition as a “leader state” on health care, and build on our succeses.

Here in NYC, we have a new member of Congress for Staten Island and southwest Brooklyn. The victor, Max Rose, has a background in running a network of community health centers that specialize in addiction treatment, so he knows and understands health care issues. We welcome him to our city’s congressional delegation, all of whom are strong champions for health care.

Even given all this good news, we still have much work ahead to bring true universal health care to our city, state, and nation. We look forward to working with all of our coalition partners in that endeavor and all struggles for health care justice.

Finally, we thank and salute everyone who participated in our “Vote for Health Care!” project which worked to elevate the health care issue for the public and voters.  Joining with our partners in the NY-11 for Health Care coalition, we distributed approximately 5,500 non-partisan, issue-focused leaflets about what was at stake for health care in the elections.  We centered our efforts in the 11th Congressional District, the only one in NYC with a contested race.  We focused on outreach at transit hubs, community events, churches, social service program sites, community health centers, and public housing campuses.  We also held a Community Town Hall on Staten Island to present speakers on health care topics relevant to the elections, hear from residents about their own health care concerns and experiences, and answer questions.