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In Focus
Obamacare “repeal-and-replace” legislation presents a unique political challenge for GOP members of the U.S. Senate.
Vote “yes” on the Better Care Reconciliation Act, and Senators risk the wrath of constituents and state elected leaders as the legislation exacts a massive toll on state finances ($7.1 billion in Arizona alone between now and FY 2026) and large numbers of families lose health coverage.
Vote “no,” and GOP members face a president with a jumpy Twitter finger and party activists animated for seven years by opposition to Obamacare.
It is the definition of a political no-win. And perhaps no one is in a tougher spot than Arizona Senator Jeff Flake. The 1st-term Republican already is on shaky footing with President Trump, with whom he clashed multiple times during the campaign. Senator Flake faces a primary challenge from former legislator Kelli Ward, but it’s the prospect of a clash with State Treasurer and Trump ally Jeff DeWit that presents greater peril in the August 2018 Primary.
Yes … No … For some members of the U.S. Senate, the best alternative may be if it’s clear the measure lacks sufficient support and never comes forward for a vote at all. That may be wishful thinking. Though 5 GOP Senators have announced their public opposition, in addition to every Democratic member, Senate leaders are pressing toward a vote this coming week.
Some voters wary of new Maricopa County election plan
The Arizona Republic
More than 1 million Maricopa County voters eligible to participate this fall in city council, school board and other local elections are about to experience big changes in how they cast their ballots.
The most noticeable changes:
- Every voter will receive a mail-in ballot, not just people on the early voting list.
- Traditional polling places will go away. Voters who have lost or spoiled their mail-in ballots, or who prefer to vote in person, will be able to visit any one of dozens of "ballot centers," giving them more location options than before.
- Voters checking in at a ballot center will use a computer kiosk to scan their ID or enter personally identifiable information to receive a ballot, instead of handing the ID to a poll worker. Then a ballot will be printed for them.
- There will be fewer ballot centers than the current number of polling places, but the ballot centers will have more check-in lines, equipment and staffing, and more locations will be open more days before the election for early voting than previously.
Yavapai, Yuma, Cochise, Graham and Santa Cruz counties use a generally similar process.
The new system makes it easier for voters to participate, lessens wait times and cuts costs, according to Maricopa County Recorder Adrian Fontes. He is holding demonstrations of the system across the Valley and speaking to community groups to get the word out.
"This really is the next step in modernizing our election system, and I think that's something everybody across the board wants to see," Fontes said. "We're enhancing the voter experience. We're opening up more access to the ballot box. We're making it easier for U.S. citizens to vote. We're not sacrificing anything when it comes to security or identity."
'This is how America does it'
But some voters have voiced confusion and concern, questioning the security and necessity of the changes.
GOP activists recently grilled Fontes, a Democrat, in a testy meeting of Legislative District 23.
One man said he did not want to vote by mail.
[...] Fontes reassured the voter that he could still cast a ballot in person. But the incident underlined the communication challenge election staffers have encountered explaining their goal of sending ballots to all voters and switching traditional polling places to ballot centers.
[...] Fontes: System is efficient, innovative
Election officials are talking about the new plan with community members now, so there is plenty of time to iron out problems before November, Fontes said. And with ballot centers open longer before Election Day than early polling places were in previous elections, there will be more opportunities to troubleshoot, he added.
If all goes well, Fontes hopes to replicate the new system in all elections in Maricopa County, not just local ones, in 2018.
But he'll have to convince the Arizona Legislature and the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to sign off on the plan. State Sen. Bob Worsley, R-Mesa, introduced a bill this year, but it did not advance.
[...] The new all-mail system is another step in the major overhaul of the election office Fontes promised when he campaigned last year against longtime Recorder Helen Purcell, whose failed experiment with a new voting system during the presidential-preference election led to long wait times and angry voters.
[...] Read more HERE
Governor Ducey Selects New Regent
PHOENIX — Governor Doug Ducey has selected Karrin Taylor Robson to fill a recent vacancy on the Arizona Board of Regents. Taylor Robson is the Founder and President of Arizona Strategies, a land use strategy and real estate development company.
[...] Prior to forming Arizona Strategies, she was Executive Vice President of DMB Associates, Inc., a Scottsdale based master-planned community developer where she was responsible for ongoing land use entitlement matters and other value enhancing efforts for DMB communities and businesses.
As a business leader in Arizona, Taylor Robson serves on the boards of numerous government, community and economic development organizations. Taylor Robson also served as the national President of the Foundation for Environmental and Economic Progress representing major landowners and stakeholders across the country to advance balanced federal environmental law and policy on endangered species acts and wetlands issues.
Prior to DMB, Taylor Robson was a principal with the law firm of Biskind, Hunt & Taylor, P.L.C., where she practiced in the areas of land use, development and zoning law representing large landowners on significant and complex land use cases. In addition, she has worked with experts to successfully obtain approval of municipal finance incentives and tools that provide well over $500 million of value to her clients. Cumulatively, she has entitled more than 20,000 acres including more than 35,000 homes and over 25 million square feet of commercial uses.
Read more HERE.
Veridus clients in the news
MODERN MEDICAID ALLIANCE WELCOMES NEW PARTNERS
June 22, 2017 – WASHINGTON – As the Modern Medicaid Alliance launches a new national education campaign called Medicaid Works to inform policymakers and the public about the high value care Medicaid delivers, the Alliance also welcomes seven more organizations as partners.
The Modern Medicaid Alliance – a group of organizations, grassroots advocates, and Medicaid beneficiaries that educate policymakers and the public about the benefits of Medicaid to the American people – is pleased to add the expertise and passion of the Association of People Supporting Employment First, the Health Care Transformation Task Force, Mental Health America, National Association of Counties, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Pharmacy Quality Alliance, and United Cerebral Palsy.
[...] Additionally, the Alliance welcomes the support of several local chambers, representing businesses across the country. These chambers recognize the valuable contributions Medicaid beneficiaries make to our economy and the importance of keeping hard-working Americans healthy. The chambers include Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce and Wheeling Area Chamber of Commerce.
[...] Read more HERE.
Senate health care plan misses the mark
Statement from Greg Vigdor, AzHHA President and CEO
PHOENIX, AZ – The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association has issued the following statement regarding draft healthcare legislation introduced today by the U.S. Senate:
“For months, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association has been calling on our leaders in Washington to come up with a workable healthcare plan that addresses lingering challenges in the areas of choice, access and cost. Upon the House’s passage last month of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – a categorical failure, by these standards – our best hope was that Senate members would set it aside and start over. Regrettably, they did not.
“To be fair, the legislation produced by the Senate today is not an exact replica of the House’s AHCA. But its spirit – and the consequences if passed – are equally troubling. Of paramount concern is the devastating impact the measure would have on the Medicaid program and the 73 million Americans who depend on it.
“On the one hand, the gradual phasing-out of Medicaid expansion under the Senate plan would give states like Arizona more time to identify funding and other alternatives before the program is rolled back. On the other hand, the funding mechanism proposed by the Senate could mean deeper, more painful cuts to Medicaid down the road.
“Regardless, this bill is the wrong approach. Reduced Medicaid enrollment means more people without health coverage. This inevitably will result in a massive shift of financial risk and burden from the federal government to states, local healthcare providers and Arizona patients and families.
“Among its multiple negative impacts, the legislation will be a drag on Arizona’s fight against opioid abuse. More than 790 Arizonans died from opioid overdoses last year, and Governor Ducey has rightly declared this a public health emergency. But tens of thousands of Arizonans on Medicaid are battling substance abuse and receive treatment services via this critical program. The nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts envisioned by this legislation will undermine the war on opioid abuse and put more of our neighbors, friends and families at-risk.
“The simple fact is there is much we don’t know about this legislation – a function of the closed-door process through which it was developed. Even the House bill, while fatally flawed, went through a public hearing process before going to a Floor vote. This is not the time to play politics. We’re talking about reforms that could reshape healthcare in this country for millions of people and for generations to come. Our leaders in Washington must allow this critical issue the discourse it deserves.
“As always, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association stands ready to support responsible reforms to our nation’s healthcare system that put patients, people and communities first. We will continue to communicate our opposition to this legislation directly to our Senators in Washington, and we ask that you do the same.”
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