Voters in Kansas rejected a proposed state constitutional amendment Tuesday that would have said there was no right to an abortion in the state, according to The Associated Press.
Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson's Women's Health Organization.
President Joe Biden hailed Tuesday's vote and called on Congress to pass a law to restore nationwide abortion rights that were provided by Roe.
"This vote makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions," Biden said in a statement.
The statewide abortion ban ballot proposal, in a fairly solidly red state, ended up failing by a massive 18 points, with 544,000 voting against it and only 378,00 in favor of it.
Measure 111: Enshrine the Right to Health Care in the State Constitution
Yes: 50.6%
No: 49.4%
>95% of votes in
Notwithstanding the slim possibility of it ultimately being defeated (Yes is up by around 20,000 votes as of this morning), it's important to understand that Measure 111 doesn't actually enact a specific healthcare coverage program. Here's an explainer of what it does do from More Perfect Union (published prior to it passing):
HSRI’s Open Enrollment period begins on November 1st and runs through January 31, 2023
PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Dan McKee announced that tomorrow is the first day of Open Enrollment for Rhode Island’s health insurance marketplace, HealthSource RI (HSRI). From November 1, 2022 through January 31, 2023, individuals can enroll, change or renew their health coverage at HealthSourceRI.com/OE or 1-855-840-HSRI (1-855-840-4774).
To support this effort, trained and certified HSRI staff will hold the first of several virtual information sessions at 9:30 a.m. on November 3. Sign up information, as well as additional info sessions, can be found at HealthSourceRI.com/Events.
Wolf Administration Highlights Pennie® Open Enrollment Period for 2023 Coverage with Quality Plans, Affordable Monthly Premiums, and New Eligibility Opportunities for Financial Savings
Carlisle, PA – Representatives from the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID), Pennie, and Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) celebrated the beginning of the open enrollment period today at Sadler Health Center in Carlisle to remind Pennsylvanians that Pennie, the commonwealth’s official online health insurance marketplace, is now open for all Pennsylvanians to apply, compare plans, and enroll in high-quality health coverage. This annual Open Enrollment Period is an opportunity for Pennsylvanians to take advantage of substantial savings on 2023 coverage created by the American Rescue Plan and extended by the Inflation Reduction Act.
November 1, 2022 – Starting today, people who need health insurance can get coverage that delivers high-quality, comprehensive benefits – including new $0 co-pays for some chronic illnesses – while also getting help paying for their coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector.
Open Enrollment runs through Jan. 23, 2023, with a deadline of Dec. 23 for people who want to start the New Year with coverage. The Health Connector is the only place where Massachusetts residents can access help paying for coverage, and all Health Connector plans meet state and federal standards, delivering the peace of mind that comes with having usable, affordable health insurance. Adult residents in Massachusetts are required to have health insurance coverage. People can find coverage at MAhealthconnector.org.
With health insurance, you’re protected from the unexpected.
BALTIMORE (Nov. 1, 2022) – Marylanders can now enroll in health plans for 2023 on MarylandHealthConnection.gov, the state’s health insurance marketplace.
Open enrollment runs from Nov. 1, 2022, through Jan. 15, 2023. Coverage starts Jan. 1, 2023, for plans selected before Dec. 31, and coverage starts on Feb. 1, 2023, for plans selected the first two weeks of January. This open enrollment period is for private plans only. Those who qualify for Medicaid may enroll any time of year.
“Many of the savings available in 2022 have been extended into 2023, resulting in free and low-cost plans.” said Michele Eberle, executive director of the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. “Accidents happen. You never know when you might need emergency care or a visit to a doctor or specialist. With health insurance, you’re covered for when the unexpected happens.”
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Covered California launched its new television advertising campaign on Monday, to promote enrollment and encourage the uninsured throughout the state to sign up for quality health insurance. The multi-language campaign builds on the successful theme of “This Way to Health Insurance,” which has helped Covered California enroll a record-high 1.7 million people.
“Covered California is reaching out to our state’s diverse population to make sure all Californians know about the increased and expanded financial help that is available to help bring the cost of quality coverage within reach,” said Jessica Altman, executive director of Covered California. “We want to make sure people know that Covered California is here to help them get and pay for quality, brand-name health insurance.”
My conclusion was that there's likely to only be one statewide race* where a Republican candidate loses by less than the COVID death margin: The Nevada Senate race where, as of this writing, incumbent Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto is trailing Republican challenger Adam Laxalt by less than 800 votes. I estimate that somewhere between 900 - 2,400 more Trump voters than Biden voters died of COVID-19 over the past two years, so if Laxalt ends up losing by less than 2,400 votes, I'd say it's pretty likely that yes, the partisan gap in COVID deaths did indeed play a small but critical role.
According to official CDC data, around 815,000 Americans died of COVID-19 between 10/31/20 - 09/10/22. Of those, I had estimated that perhaps 569,000 had actually voted for Biden or Trump. The total number has tragically risen by around 7,000 more since mid-September, which means the number of 2020 voters who've died is also likely around 4,900 higher.
Nationally, Joe Biden received 81,283,501 votes to Donald Trump's 74,223,975 votes. If COVID impacted both voting blocs at identical rates, you'd normally expect roughly 9.5% more Biden voters to have died of COVID over the past 2 years than Trump voters...or roughly 25,000 more Biden voters.
