This calls for day-different signs of the stated policy positions of key county partisan elites

The audience is curious not only in descriptively exploring the state correlates from ACA partisan polarization, also in how state policy decisions determine public-opinion. Keep in mind that we predict the fresh pit anywhere between partisans’ reviews of one’s ACA to-be huge inside aligned partisan environment (says where Democrats provides forced to own implementation and Republicans has compared it) and you may smaller from inside the misaligned partisan surroundings (claims in which Republicans have supported implementation).

Within data, we run governors. As the most apparent condition societal officials and also the vital so you can implementation of the exchanges and you may Medicaid extension, governors have the ideal possibility to disperse public https://datingranking.net/nl/luxy-overzicht/ opinion due to their mentioned ranking. Beginning with the policy briefs provided with the fresh Kaiser Friends Basis, we assigned taught browse assistants that have guaranteeing (by way of media accounts) when governors into the for every single condition clarified societal announcements of its well-known policy for the exchanges and you will Medicaid expansion. On the transfers, we written dichotomous variables to own gubernatorial announcements in favor of county-run exchanges (probably the most “pro-ACA” execution option, implemented during the 11 claims plus the Area of Columbia), federally focus on exchanges (which total a good refusal so you can to visit county resources to help you implementation, implemented inside twenty-7 says), and you will state-federal “partnership” exchanges (a crossbreed design between them, then followed throughout the remaining 11 states). To own Medicaid extension, i written an individual adjustable trapping perhaps the governor launched assistance for any version of Medicaid expansion, if the complete extension envisioned in brand spanking new legislation, or the compromised Area 1115 waiver versions discussed from the extremely Republican-controlled says one to ran give with expansion. six

All of our theoretical framework assumes you to a leading-profile statement by a key partisan shape such a governor creates a long-lasting change in new governmental environment in a condition. Ergo, when you look at the claims where in fact the governor indicated assistance to possess a certain policy alternative, the appropriate adjustable was coded 0 for all home up until the announcement and you will step one into quarter the spot where the statement try produced plus all of the house thereafter. For every of these variables, new baseline was a decreased-information environment where in fact the governor hasn’t taken an effective reputation towards execution.

The fresh communications regards to each of people parameters to your Republican governor changeable describes the difference between you to definitely scenario and one during the and that an excellent Republican governor made an equivalent statement (misaligned partisan rules ecosystem)

As the we assume the effect away from cues to help you disagree according to the fresh partisanship of governor, i include a good dichotomous variable demonstrating if the governor for the each state is actually a Republican when you look at the for each and every quarter. Because of the communicating this adjustable to the statement variables, we are able to distinguish anywhere between lined up and you may misaligned partisan policy environment. Brand new component terms towards the state exchange, connection exchange, and you will Medicaid expansion details indicate that an excellent Popular governor made the new statement involved (aimed partisan plan environment). The new interaction term of one’s Republican governor varying as well as the federal replace statement changeable makes reference to another aligned partisan policy ecosystem. seven

Control Details and you can Fixed Outcomes

We are lots of date-different handle details. 1st ones is a one-one-fourth slowdown of one’s ACA polarization measure, just like the we expect some extent out-of “stickiness” in public perceptions regarding the laws. We along with handle to own if or not and if the state submitted otherwise entered a keen anti-ACA lawsuit, most of which were eventually consolidated with the NFIB v. Sebelius circumstances. 8 The choice to file or register particularly a suit is alone a signal out-of your state government’s purposes towards the the ACA, albeit an even more uncertain you to definitely, because in lots of claims the new initiator wasn’t this new governor however the county attorney general. Just like the anti-ACA and you can Republican county governments was more likely to file or join lawsuits, neglecting to account for so it varying you will definitely bias the brand new polarizing feeling away from governors’ afterwards announcements towards Medicaid expansion or perhaps the exchanges. This varying are coded similarly to the latest announcement details, because it’s equivalent to 0 before the one-fourth the fresh new state submitted otherwise inserted a fit, and you will 1 thereafter.