2019 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Health Care
Bill Lee:
Community/faith-based care, not big government
So that more uninsured Tennesseans have access to quality primary and preventative-care services, we are providing additional funding to our health care safety net which supports community and faith-based care centers serving those who do not
have health insurance coverage. We will continue to work with the General Assembly and with Washington to look for waiver opportunities that help us increase insurance coverage without big government strings attached.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Tennessee legislature
Mar 6, 2019
Bill Lee:
Expand funding for mental health treatment
I am recommending an increase of $11 million in recurring funds to our Behavioral Health Safety Net and our Regional Mental Health Institutes. These investments will help us serve thousands more of our most vulnerable Tennesseans, most of which do
not currently have health insurance. Tennessee's suicide rate is 20% higher than the national average. For that reason, I'm proposing a $1.1 million investment that will expand the state's partnership with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Tennessee legislature
Mar 6, 2019
Ron DeSantis:
Against Medicare-for-all; keep private insurance
We need to enact policies to make health insurance, prescription drugs and medical care more affordable for Floridians. As you are aware, health care is being hotly debated at the national level, so let me say: Any proposal that seeks to
eliminate the private health insurance policies of millions of Floridians is unacceptable. Government has no right to take away the policies that Floridians earn through their jobs or purchase on the individual market.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Florida legislature
Mar 5, 2019
Roy Cooper:
Accept Federal dollars to expand Medicaid
We know too many North Carolinians don't have health insurance. Many North Carolinians are tired of their tax dollars going to Washington to cover people in other states, but not our state.
It makes no sense to say no to something our Federal tax dollars already pay for in other states. As soon as we can, right now, we should expand Medicaid.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to North Carolina congress
Feb 25, 2019
J.B. Pritzker:
Expand health care but can't do it all at once
We increase the income eligibility threshold in the Child Care Assistance Program which will give quality care to approximately 10,000 more children. We will be able to hire an additional 126 direct service staff for DCFS to protect children.
We will provide funding to help investigate cases of kids' exposure to lead. This is less than what I would like to do. But it is what we can afford to do in year one of our recovery.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Illinois legislature
Feb 20, 2019
Janet Mills:
Medicaid expansion helps everyone
Expanding MaineCare will help rural hospitals--which are some of the largest employers in their communities, often the only source of care, and often on the edge of financial collapse--because expansion will reduce the amount of uncompensated care they
are asked to provide. We expect that this will reduce the cost of health insurance to small businesses, self-employed individuals and employees--whose insurance rates are essentially making up the difference for hospitals' uncompensated care.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Maine legislature
Feb 11, 2019
Janet Mills:
Expanding MaineCare helps needy & helps hospitals
Expanded MaineCare will help up to 70,000 people who now lack affordable health insurance, so that they will never again have to face the choice between medical care and bankruptcy. Expanding MaineCare will also help our rural hospitals--
which are some of the largest employers in their communities, often the only source of care, and often on the edge of financial collapse--because expansion will reduce the amount of uncompensated care they are asked to provide.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Maine legislature
Feb 11, 2019
Matt Bevin:
Work/school requirements for Medicaid
Bevin said his administration's 1115 Medicaid waiver will empower Kentuckians to improve their own health outcomes. The waiver requires able-bodied adults with no dependents to work, go to school, or volunteer 20 hours a week.
The waiver also enables the state to allocate Medicaid dollars for behavioral health needs.
Source: Press release on Kentucky 2019 State of the State address
Feb 9, 2019
Kevin Stitt:
Governor should have more control on Medicaid
Medicaid is the fastest growing expense in our state budget, and before we commit our state to accepting even more Medicaid dollars, Oklahomans deserve accountability and transparency with our state's management of the Healthcare Authority.
Oklahoma is the only state in the nation where the governor does not have the authority to provide oversight of this agency. We are sticking out like a sore thumb, and this must change.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Oklahoma legislature
Feb 4, 2019
Steve Bullock:
Medicaid expansion good for business & jobs
In 2015 we passed one of the most innovative Medicaid expansion programs in the nation. No other state has increased labor force participation like we have because of our HELP-Link program. If I told you I had a business coming to Montana that would
create between 5,900 and 7,500 jobs--that would infuse over $350 million of new personal income into our state--you would tell me that sounds pretty darn good. That's exactly what Medicaid expansion has done and will continue to do.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Montana legislature
Jan 31, 2019
Tony Evers:
Healthy Communities Initiative: increase access via Medicaid
We've already started working to make sure healthcare in Wisconsin is affordable and accessible. We signed executive orders creating a Healthy Communities Initiative and calling upon the Department of Health Services to prioritize these goals.
Our budget will also seek to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin. According to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau, this will enable an additional 76,000 Wisconsinites to have access to affordable healthcare.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Wisconsin legislature
Jan 22, 2019
Tony Evers:
Exit Obamacare lawsuit; keep pre-existing coverage
The people of Wisconsin voted for a change this November and asked us to stop playing politics with their health care. That's why I'm directing Attorney General Kaul to withdraw from a lawsuit that would gut coverage for the 2.4 million
Wisconsinites who have pre-existing conditions. I've said all along that I believe the best way to maintain protections for healthcare here in Wisconsin is to stop trying to dismantle those protections at the federal level.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Wisconsin legislature
Jan 22, 2019
Brian Kemp:
Rural counties deserve a patient-centered healthcare system
While different parts of our state have unique challenges and concerns, all Georgians deserve a patient-centered healthcare system that puts families first. The status quo is unacceptable. Seventy-nine counties have no OB/GYN.
Sixty-four counties have no pediatrician. Nine counties have no doctor. Insurers are leaving the state, and hardworking Georgians are struggling to pay their premiums.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Georgia legislature
Jan 17, 2019
Brian Kemp:
Don't expand the broken Medicaid system
We have included $1 million in the Department of Community Health's budget to craft state flexibility options for Georgia's Medicaid program. We will expand access without expanding a broken system that fails to deliver for patients.
We will drive competition and improve quality while encouraging innovation. I will work with the legislature to grow the rural hospital tax credit, tackle the doctor shortage, and build a healthier Georgia.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Georgia legislature
Jan 17, 2019
John Carney:
Need to address high cost of health care
Part of having a good quality of life is making sure Delawareans can access and afford quality healthcare. Delaware consistently spends more than most other states on healthcare costs. That's why I signed an executive order setting both quality
and spending benchmarks for the entire healthcare system. We're doing this by improving transparency around the cost of health care services. We need to know what factors are driving these higher costs and how we can change the trends.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Delaware legislature
Jan 17, 2019
Laura Kelly:
KanCare-based Medicaid expansion to save rural hospitals
According to some reports, 30% of our state's hospitals are considered financially vulnerable. Just by expanding KanCare--the state's Medicaid program--we can help keep these important facilities stay open and provide affordable health care to
150,000 more Kansans--no matter where they live. To date, our failure to act has cost Kansas over $3 billion in federal funding. By Kansas Day, there will be a plan to expand Medicaid put before the Kansas Legislature.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Kansas legislature
Jan 16, 2019
Mike Parson:
Expand rural access & mental health needs
A key part of our efforts to improve Missouri's workforce and infrastructure is developing better access to providers and hospitals. Almost 40 percent of Missourians live in rural area and we are committed to making sure they too have
access to both preventive and emergency care. In addition, we will be providing a substantial increase to help those facing the challenges of mental health, expand telemedicine technology, fight the opioid crisis, and better serve those in need.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Missouri legislature
Jan 16, 2019
Steve Sisolak:
Expand coverage for those who need it
We have to make sure that quality health care continues to be offered to every Nevadan, not just those who can afford it. Our state took an incredible step when we expanded Medicaid. It gave the chance for hundreds of thousands of
Nevadans to go to the doctor and gain the coverage they need. My recommended budget represents the largest investment of general fund dollars to the Department of Health and Human Services in Nevada history.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Nevada legislature
Jan 16, 2019
Andrew Cuomo:
Protect ObamaCare coverage of preexisting conditions
The federal government is trying to roll back the Affordable Health Care Act. It has dire repercussions for this state. We want to protect affordable health care.
We need to codify the ACA and safeguard the protections for preexisting conditions in our law so the federal government cannot change those protections, period.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the New York legislature
Jan 15, 2019
Michelle Lujan-Grisham:
Focus on care, not paperwork
I have directed the Department of Health and the Human Services Department to work with the superintendent of insurance to reduce reporting requirements and burdens on our health care providers. The message to providers and patients is this:
Better delivery over bureaucracy. Our providers should spend more time taking care of their patients, and our patients should spend less time worrying about what they can and can't afford.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to New Mexico legislature
Jan 15, 2019
Phil Murphy:
Protected ObamaCare; enacted sick leave
While some in Washington continue their assault on our health care, we protected health care for hundreds of thousands of residents, by restoring funding for Planned Parenthood and women's health care, enacting paid sick leave protections for
1.2 million residents who couldn't take a day off, and safeguarding the Affordable Care Act--an effort that resulted in a more than nine percent reduction in premiums on the individual market.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to New Jersey legislature
Jan 15, 2019
Kate Brown:
Ensure health care for all: expand Oregon Health Plan
Because of the work we've done to expand the Oregon Health Plan, today 94 percent of adults have access. And because of the work we did to pass Cover All Kids, every single one of our children has access. Let's work together to make sure every
Oregonian has the health care they need. Families across Oregon need to know that they'll be able to see a doctor when they're sick. And that means giving them certainty as soon as we can this session.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to the Oregon legislature
Jan 14, 2019
Mark Gordon:
Craft a state-led course on healthcare
I will support our hometowns as they chart their own courses into the future. Likewise, I will always stand up for Wyoming charting our own course. This is certainly the case with healthcare. We have been given an opportunity to craft a Wyoming solut
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Wyoming legislature
Jan 9, 2019
Brad Little:
Honor the will of the people & implement Medicaid expansion
On election day over 60% of voters approved Medicaid expansion. For months I made it clear I would honor the will of the people. I intend to work with you to implement Medicaid expansion using an Idaho approach. We need spring in our safety net so that
there are multiple pathways for the gap population to move off Medicaid and onto private coverage.While making health care available to low-income individuals we should also do what we can to make affordable, accessible, quality health care available
to all Idahoans.
An unintended outcome of the Affordable Care Act is that too many people are priced out of health insurance coverage. In the past two years, the number of uninsured Idahoans increased by 125,000--almost double the gap population.
As Idaho continues to enjoy the fastest-growing economy in the nation, the number of insured Idahoans should be increasing not decreasing.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to Idaho legislature
Jan 7, 2019
Chris Sununu:
Medicaid compromise has worked for 50,000 citizens
Another key component of growing our workforce is New Hampshire's work requirement for able bodied individuals, who are part of our Medicaid Expansion program. These provisions of Medicaid help lift people out of poverty by empowering
them with the dignity of work and self-reliability. I know that leaders of both parties stand united and committed to the compromise reached last year helping to ensure healthcare for 50,000 of our citizens.
Source: 2019 State of the State address to New Hampshire legislature
Jan 3, 2019
Page last updated: Apr 02, 2019