Medicaid expansion could make ballot in Nebraska
Speaking of Medicaid expansion in red states, the Omaha World-Herald reports that the issue could make the ballot as a popular initiative in Nebraska this November:
A proposal to expand Medicaid to more low-income Nebraskans has cleared one hurdle to appearing on the November ballot.
Secretary of State John Gale said Friday that a petition to put the proposal before voters has more than met the requirement to collect valid signatures from more than 5 percent of registered voters in 38 counties.
With signatures from 79 of the states 93 counties reported, the petition drive has exceeded the 5 percent mark in 42 counties, he said.
To put the measure on the ballot, the petition also must have valid signatures from at least 84,269 registered voters.
It also must survive a legal challenge filed by a state lawmaker and former lawmaker.
Similar efforts have put the Medicaid expansion issue on the ballot in Idaho and Utah.
It's a clever maneuver by enterprising citizens to get around Republican legislators who are too frightened of anti-Obamacare donors to accept billions of dollars in federal money to provide health insurance for their states' poorest citizens.
Read more:
https://www.arktimes.com/ArkansasBlog/archives/2018/08/20/medicaid-expansion-could-make-ballot-in-nebraska