An Idaho grassroots group says it has gathered enough signatures for a November ballot initiative on whether to expand Medicaid.
The group Reclaim Idaho plans to submit on Monday more than 60,000 signatures to get expansion on the ballot, according to a report in the Idaho Statesman.
The group needs 56,192 valid signatures, which has to include 6 percent of registered voters from at least 18 legislative districts to be considered, the report said. The state must validate that the signatures are authentic.
If the referendum passes in November, Idaho would become the 21st state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. The group says 78,000 Idahoans could get coverage through the expansion.
Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, who is running for governor, said in a recent debate he would work to overturn the initiative if voters passed it in November, according to the Associated Press.
Maine voters in 2017 decided to expand Medicaid through a ballot initiative. However, Republican Gov. Paul LePage, who vetoed several bills to expand Medicaid, has blocked the expansion. Now the anti-poverty organization Maine Equal Justice Partners is suing LePage over his obstruction.
