As we go to press, several congressional races are still in contention. However, what is definitive is that the Democrats have taken back the House and the Senate still has a Republican majority. Divided control of Congress ensures that any attempts to repeal and/or replace additional elements of the Affordable Care Act will be dead on arrival, particularly given the prominence of protecting patients with pre-existing conditions in Democratic campaign messaging.
♦ 114 million voters cast their ballots – the most it has ever been for a midterm election.
♦ There will be 85 new members of Congress in 2019 – meaning more than 15% of Congress will be freshmen on January 3.
♦ In the Illinois 14th congressional district, Lauren Underwood, MSN, MPH, BSN successfully unseated her incumbent opponent. She focused her campaign messaging on the need to improve health policy.
♦ Medicaid expansion was passed in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah. The measure failed in Montana.
♦ Kansas and Maine elected governors who have shown support for Medicaid expansion.
♦ Establishing mandatory nurse-patient ratios in hospitals failed in Massachusetts.