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Even as embattled Republican candidates across the country pledge to protect Americans with preexisting medical conditions, nearly all continue to resist extending health protections to their poorest constituents. Republicans running for governor in states that have not expanded Medicaid to low-income adults through the Affordable Care Act almost universally oppose any coverage expansion through the government safety net program. (Levey, 11/1)

In campaign speeches, advertisements and interviews, Republican politicians are showing a zeal for protecting Americans with pre-existing health conditions. President Trump has gone the furthest, saying not only that he will ensure protections for the previously ill, but also pledging that his party will do so more effectively than Democrats. There are many reasons to doubt these words. (Sanger-Katz, 11/2)

Kaiser Health News: The Election’s Impact On Health Care: Some Bellwether Races To Watch

Voters this year have told pollsters in no uncertain terms that health care is important to them. In particular, maintaining insurance protections for preexisting conditions is the top issue to many. But the results of the midterm elections are likely to have a major impact on a broad array of other health issues that touch every single American. And how those issues are addressed will depend in large part on which party controls the U.S. House and Senate, governors’ mansions and state legislatures around the country. (Rovner, 11/2)

Democrats are pinning their hopes on health care as a winning message in the final days of the midterm campaign, saying they will not be distracted by President Trump's attempts to make the election about immigration. When Trump this week proposed ending birthright citizenship, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) responded by hammering Republicans on health care. Meanwhile, the House Democrats' campaign arm recently launched another wave of ads targeting GOP lawmakers for their ObamaCare repeal votes. (Sullivan, 11/1)

While President Trump has been talking about the Supreme Court, immigration and the “liberal mob,” Betsy Dirksen Londrigan has just kept talking about health care. Londrigan, a Democratic House candidate hoping for an upset victory over Rep. Rodney Davis, the Republican incumbent in this central Illinois district, says health care is the issue that motivated her to enter the race. (Werner and Weigel, 11/1)

Florida’s U.S. Senate race could come down to what polls show is the No. 1 issue for Hispanic and independent voters: health care. Gov. Rick Scott, the GOP nominee, appears to be hyperaware of that statistic. Since early voting began, he’s run at least 1,333 ads in Orlando and Tampa media markets — crucial for reaching Hispanic and independents voters — wherein he promises to protect patients with pre-existing health conditions. The political group supporting his opponent, Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson, has run at least 541 TV hits in those same media markets, trying to convince voters of the opposite. (Glorioso, 11/1)

In the past year alone, President Trump has bellyached about drug makers charging “rip-off” prices, numerous Democrats have accused the pharmaceutical industry of pure greed, and polls have shown that voters believe lowering the cost of prescription medicines should be among government’s top priorities. But if Republicans prevail in just two nailbiter races on Tuesday, the Senate’s ranks would suddenly include two former drug industry lobbyists and even a pharma CEO. The prospect isn’t so far-fetched. (Facher, 11/2)

Perhaps no sector will be in the election spotlight as much as healthcare, which has been one of the top-performing S&P 500 sectors this year. Policy efforts to lower prescription drug prices that have started under Trump could get more attention should Democrats gain control in Congress. Democratic gains in particular could lead investors to anticipate expanded coverage or other changes related to the Affordable Care Act, possibly benefiting some insurer company and hospital shares. (Krauskopf, 11/1)