tansytum:

“Obamacare didn’t just give more people health insurance. It also caused more people to vote. That’s the conclusion of a new body of evidence that strongly suggests that giving people coverage through expansions of the Medicaid program increases their likelihood of participating in the next election. Medicaid expansions seem to raise both voter registration and voter participation, at least temporarily. On Tuesday, voters in three states approved measures to further expand Medicaid. The election of Democratic governors in three more could also prompt new expansions. Researchers who worked on three recent studies of the effects say it’s likely that those expansions will have a similar effect on voting in the next election cycle. “We can confidently say: When you expand Medicaid eligibility, participation goes up,” said Jake Haselswerdt, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Missouri, who wrote one of the papers. It’s not clear exactly why getting Medicaid makes people more likely to vote, but there are a couple of theories. It could be that Medicaid, which has been shown to increase treatment for depression and improve financial stability, makes it easier for people to participate in the political process by giving them direct benefits. Over all, wealthier and healthier Americans tend to be more likely to vote than their poorer, sicker counterparts. Perhaps enrollment in the program simply connected people with information about registration and voting, as it brought them into contact with government websites and case workers. Medicaid might also boost civic engagement by making people more grateful to the government and more interested in public policy. Earlier studies have shown that the creation of Social Security had a large effect on the civic participation of older Americans, and that the G.I. bill boosted participation from veterans who earned benefits under its program. “These are programs that have a major effect on people’s lives,” said Andrea Campbell, a professor of political science at M.I.T., who wrote a book on the political legacy of Social Security. She suggested Medicaid could work similarly, by improving people’s circumstances and making them more aware of the stakes of government action.”

— When Medicaid Expands, More People Vote – The New York Times
(via dendroica)