Twisting in the Wind: Health Reform Post-Election

Here's what we're checking out today, post-election:

Health Reform: There is much analysis of what the GOP sweep of yesterday's midterm elections means for health reform. Kaiser Health News' Julie Appleby and Mary Agnes Carey highlight the role of newly-elected Republican governors now in a position to block or stall implementation of some elements of reform. California Healthline's Dan Diamond also examines what the current Congress still needs to do on health reform before the end of 2010, and how Democrats might fine-tune existing reforms in light of the election results. The Wall St. Journal's Janet Adamy and Jonathan Weisman look how healthcare businesses will lobby to keep elements of health reform favorable to them while repealing the ones that aren't.

Medi-Cal: Buried under an avalanche of election news: California has, after 10 years, finally gotten its Medi-Cal waiver approved, California Heathline's David Gorn reports. What does that mean in English? A long-planned overhaul of how the state organizes its key subsidized insurance program for the poor and an additional $2 billion a year from the feds over the next five years.

Health Blogs: As a break from election news, Fierce Healthcare offers a list of medical/healthcare bloggers worth following that includes some new faces.