Who controls Washington, D.C., is only part of the election's impact on health policy. Several key health issues were on the ballot both directly and indirectly in many states. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Former Vice President Joe Biden appeared to be inching toward the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency Wednesday afternoon, but at the same time it was becoming clearer that Democrats would not take back the Senate majority they lost in 2014. If that bears out, it could well be a prescription for gridlock on health care.
Without a Democratic majority in the Senate, Biden as president could not likely advance many of his top health agenda items — including lowering the eligibility age for Medicare to 60, expanding financial assistance for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, and creating a "public option" government health plan.
However, a defeat of President Donald Trump would almost certainly stop his administration's efforts to further erode the effectiveness of the ACA and efforts to turn more of the Medicaid program for those with low incomes back to the states.
Even if Biden wins, this is not the outcome Democrats were hoping for — and, to some extent, expecting, based on preelection polling. Andy Slavitt, who ran the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services during the Obama administration, noted that frustration in a tweet Wednesday. "A large disappointment is that many hoped for a significant repudiation of Trump & his indifference to human life, human suffering, his corruption, and goal of getting rid of the ACA. No matter the final total it will be hard to make that claim," Slavitt said.
Still up in the air is how willing a Republican-led Senate will be to provide further relief to individuals, businesses and states hit hard by the coronavirus epidemic, and whether they will participate in previously bipartisan efforts to curtail "surprise" out-of-network medical bills and get a handle on prescription drug prices.
To be sure, nothing is final as several key swing states, including Pennsylvania, are still counting thousands of mail-in and early votes. But by midafternoon, Biden was projected by news outlets to have won 253 electoral votes, while Trump had 214. Unofficial returns also showed Biden leading in several states, including Arizona and Nevada, and close to the president in Georgia, where early ballots were still being counted.
Biden was quick to note that nothing is final in brief remarks he made Wednesday afternoon. "I'm not here to declare that we've won," he said, "but I am here to declare that, when the count is finished, we believe that we will be the winners."
Although Democrats poured tens of millions of dollars into races to defeat vulnerable Republican senators this year, most of the incumbents — including Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Steve Daines (Montana), Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) — won their battles. Several races are still too close to call.
But who controls Washington, D.C., is only part of the election's impact on health policy. Several key health issues were on the ballot both directly and indirectly in many states. Here are a few:
Abortion
In Colorado, a measure that would have banned abortions after 22 weeks of pregnancy — except to save the life of the pregnant person — failed, according to The Associated Press. Colorado is one of seven states that don't prohibit abortions at some point in pregnancy. It is also home to one of the few clinics in the nation that perform abortions in the third trimester, often for severe medical complications. The clinic draws patients from around the nation, so residents of other states would have been affected if the Colorado amendment had passed.
