President Donald Trump has moved forcefully to push unprecedented limits on government health assistance for the poor, trying to follow through on conservatives’ long-held goals for reshaping the health care safety net.
That ambition has slammed into a brick wall amid the coronavirus — with the help of Republican states wary of cutting back health coverage for their poorest residents during a pandemic.
Voters in even the reddest parts of the country are approving or weighing Medicaid expansions as the coronavirus tears through communities and historic levels of unemployment leave workers without health coverage. And Republican governors aren't lining up for Trump’s two major moves to restrict Medicaid: work requirements for many adults and block grants to states instead of open-ended funding.
Now Republican experts who have led the party’s thinking on Obamacare alternatives acknowledge the conservative agenda is out of step with public demands. And the worst public health emergency in a century is now fueling a debate over how to frame the party’s health agenda around this moment, when Democrats enjoy a clear polling advantage on health care issues.
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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/13/pandemic-trump-health-care-safety-net-356759
