Voters in Idaho and Utah on Tuesday approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid to thousands of low-income people in the state.
The vote is expected to expand coverage to 62,000 people in Idaho, and 70,000 in Utah. The late vote results in those states followed Nebraska's decision to make a similar change.
The vote in Idaho sets off a funding battle in the legislature to pay for the state’s share of expansion. The majority of funding for the expansion comes from the federal government, but the state will need to procure 7 percent of costs in 2019 and 10 percent in 2020 and beyond, adding up to millions of dollars in spending each year.
The ballot initiative served as a way for pro-Obamacare advocates to circumvent state lawmakers who had blocked expansion in the past.
The Democratic candidate for governor, state Rep. Paulette Jordan, said her campaign was devoted not only to getting people to vote “yes” on expansion, but also to the development of Medicaid in the state. On Twitter, Idaho Democrats accused her GOP opponent, Brad Little, of being unclear on his position.
The ballot vote had appeared to receive a boost last week when retiring Republican Gov. Butch Otter said he endorsed expansion.
In Utah, the ballot gave voters a chance to choose whether a tax on non-food items would pay for Utah’s share of the Medicaid expansion. Most of the tab is picked up by the federal government.
As Obamacare was originally written, all states were set to expand Medicaid to people making less than $17,000 a year beginning in 2014. A Supreme Court decision made the provision optional, and as a result certain states have expanded coverage.
Americans for Prosperity, an organization affiliated with the libertarian Koch brothers, worked to defeat the initiative in all three states where it was considered.
As Obamacare was originally written, all states were set to expand Medicaid to people making less than $17,000 a year beginning in 2014. A Supreme Court decision made the provision optional, and as a result, certain states have expanded while others have not.
