Story highlights Maine decisively supported expanding Medicaid

Virginia elected a staunch Obamacare supporter as governor

(CNN) Obamacare had a very good night on Tuesday after having a really rough year.

While many Republicans on the federal and state level have sought to dismantle the health care law, voters in two states showed that coverage matters to them.

Maine voters decisively supported expanding Medicaid, the first time the issue has been decided at the ballot box. And in Virginia, voters elected Democrat Ralph Northam, a staunch Obamacare supporter, as governor and sent more Democratic lawmakers to the statehouse, which is sure to restart the debate over expanding Medicaid there.

Obamacare, officially the Affordable Care Act, gave states the option to expand Medicaid to cover low-income adults. The federal government picks up nearly all of the tab.

With the effort to repeal Obamacare stalled in Congress, the battle has moved to the state level. Several states are looking to use waivers to loosen Obamacare's rules as much as possible, while also tailoring the program to their residents' needs. The federal government has signaled it will grant states more flexibility. Seema Verma, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, said Tuesday her agency will approve applications to add work requirements for able-bodied Medicaid expansion enrollees.

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