Expanding health care at the state and local levels

After an election dominated by health care concerns, progressive politicians are moving to bolster services — and it’s not just the additional states expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. This week, new California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he hoped to offer Medi-Cal coverage to some people in the country illegally, bulk up subsidies for middle-class residents to help pay for insurance, and have his health department negotiate Medi-Cal drug prices. In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee proposed adding a "public option" to the state's insurance marketplace. And New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio previewed spending $100 million to extend coverage to undocumented immigrants and others without insurance.