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The Medicaid extension is planned in three states this year, where local Republican leaders have opposed the global extension of the social protection program under the Affordable Care Act. Many GOP leaders cited budget concerns.
Voters from Idaho, Nebraska and Utah will vote in favor of expanding Medicaid into their states starting in 2019. If the measures are passed, this could result in a new coverage of Medicaid for 325,000 people in these three states, according to an analysis by Avalere.
These voting initiatives follow a binding referendum held in Maine last year, in which voters approved the extension of the Medicaid program to 70,000 low-income residents.
However, the victory at the ballot box in Maine has not yet translated into effective implementation. Outgoing Republican Governor Paul LePage refused to apply the measure despite court orders. He argued that the state could not afford the long-term budgetary implications of the expansion of coverage.
Maine is part of a half dozen state-run Republicans who have had a close run for governorship this year. The victories of Democrats out there could pave the way for a new wave of Medicaid expansion. Since the law came into force in 2014, 34 states and Washington have so far extended Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
The ACA program expands health care coverage as part of the social protection program for low-income adults earning up to 138% of the federal poverty line, which amounts to $ 16,600 for an individual this year and up to $ 25,000. To $ 33,900 for a family of four.
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