Nebraska lawmaker seeks Medicaid expansion after Maine vote
State Sen.
The measure's prospects are far from certain in the conservative, one-house Legislature, but Morfeld said he's hopeful that some senators who oppose an expansion of Medicaid would be open to letting voters decide the matter.
"I think
Expanding Medicaid would provide coverage to an estimated 90,000 low-income adults between the ages of 19 and 64 who have no dependents. Ricketts and opponents in the Legislature have said the program would create long-term budget problems and draw resources away from other vulnerable groups.
Groups that have pushed for the expansion said they will work on any effort to cover the affected population, which consists largely of residents in service jobs with no benefits, such as hotel and construction workers.
"We've seen over the last five years that the need for these folks to get coverage has not gone away," said
Roughly 11 million people nationally have gotten coverage through the expansion of Medicaid. The health care law appeared to be in jeopardy earlier this year, but President
With
Supporters of Medicaid expansion in
There isn't enough polling to guess whether
"It would be a really interesting campaign," Hibbing said. "I'm sure (supporters) are thinking, 'What have we got to lose?'"
In 2014,
However, in 2012, voters rejected an effort to loosen legislative term limits and give senators a raise. A majority also voted to reinstate the death penalty in
Morfeld said lawmakers who want to expand Medicaid have worked in good faith to address opponents' concerns over the years, but nothing has worked so far.
"I'll just say it's incredibly frustrating to work in the Legislature and with the governor when they constantly oppose affordable health care legislation and provide absolutely no alternative," he said.
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