How Medicaid and Obamacare Drive Voting

The Science of Politics

Obamacare substantially increased American health coverage, but now some states and the Trump administration are acting to curtail benefits. Do Obamacare exchanges and Medicaid help stimulate new voters or even help Democrats win? Jamila Michener finds that Medicaid mobilizes voters, but only if it is well-administered and effective. States, counties, and even neighborhoods matter to how beneficiaries react. Vlad Kogan finds that, while Medicaid and Obamacare generally helped Democrats, a last-minute sticker price hike in 2016 moved votes to Trump. Democrats were able to win votes with new policy, but Republicans also win votes by undermining it. Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_Party_rally-_sign_about_how_Obama_lies_will_kill_grandmothers_(4430071537).jpg