Elections have Consequences

Enough time has passed that we can sensibly discuss some of the results of last week’s election.  I’ll comment more fully on the implications of the presidential elections later in the week.  For now I’ll limit my comments to some interesting results of 5 state-level propositions relevant to health care. 

Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Montana, and Wyoming each had ballot initiatives on different aspects of the Affordable Care Act. 

  • Alabama’s Amendment 6 “prohibits any person, employer, or health care provider from being compelled to participate in any health care system.”  By a vote of 60-40 the amendment passed and the individual and employer mandates were defeated.
  • In Florida a constitutional ban on mandates to obtain health insurance was defeated by a margin of 51-49. 
  • Proposition E in Missouri prohibiting the establishment and operation of health insurance exchanges without state-level legislation, petition, or referendum passed by a vote of 62-38.  The ban also extends to gubernatorial executive order. 
  • Legislative referendum 122 passed in Montana by a vote of 67-33, prohibiting the mandatory purchase of health insurance or penalizing anyone who does not. 
  • Wyoming’s Amendment A prohibits any law compelling anyone to participate in any health care system.  The amendment was approved by a vote of 77-23. 

Two additional states have already approved constitutional amendments against mandates (Arizona and Oklahoma).  A similar measure failed in Colorado.  Of course, the supremacy clause of the US Constitution trumps state law, but these state-level initiatives are more than mere folly.  They show how unpopular the legislation is in many parts of the country and spell trouble as we move forward in implementing it.   

The opinions expressed in this blog post are mine alone, and do not reflect the opinions of Baylor University.   Baylor is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information provided in this post.