Mainers set to vote on whether to expand Medicaid
The statewide referendum marked the first time since the law took effect that the question of expansion of health care for the poor has been put before voters, not politicians, making it a bellwether for support for the Affordable Care Act.
The ballot measure comes after
Passage of the proposal would mean an estimated 70,000 people in
A recent poll showed about two-thirds of respondents supported the expansion in
But turnout could be a factor in the outcome. The state's top election official, Secretary of State
For supporters and opponents of "Obamacare,"
But in the nation's Northeast corner, the issue was personal to many in a rural state that has the country's oldest population and the region's lowest wages. The state is also grappling with an epidemic of opioid overdoses and addiction, and expanded Medicaid could help addicts, expansions proponents say.
LePage opposes giving able-bodied adults more access to Medicaid, and often summarizes his argument by saying: "Free is expensive to somebody." He also warned that he would have to divert
Mainers For Health Care, a group that supports expansion, touted the proposal as a "commonsense move" to ensure health care coverage for more people.
The initiative's supporters have reported spending about
This may not be the last state vote. Backers of Medicaid expansion in
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