Obamacare’s fate looms over Maine Medicaid expansion vote
Whether
The arguments for and against Medicaid expansion in
[LePage: Medicaid expansion would 'kill'
With health insurance premiums on the rise and insurance companies struggling to survive, particularly in the Affordable Care Act's individual markets, President
Question 2, which will appear on the statewide ballot, reads as follows:
"Do you want
What does expansion mean?
More adults would be covered based on their income. Currently, MaineCare covers a range of groups, such as pregnant women, parents with children younger than 18 and disabled people. Qualifying income thresholds vary. Parents and disabled adults, for example, qualify if their incomes are below 100 percent of the federal poverty level. That's
Expansion would raise the threshold to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. That's
Why does it matter what happens at the federal level?
It's about the money. The 2010 Affordable Care Act encouraged states to expand their Medicaid programs, which in
The initiative does not reference the Affordable Care Act. The referendum expands Medicaid in
The cost would be high but how high is under debate.
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-- On the positive side of the tally sheet, OFPR estimates that existing programs would generate
IN SUMMARY, expansion would require an annual state appropriation of nearly
We're being watched
In
This is likely the last time the matter will come up during LePage's tenure, so a "no" vote will help cement his legacy of reining in the cost of public assistance programs. A "yes" vote would be a clear rebuttal of the governor's stance but would electrify health care as an issue in the 2018 gubernatorial and legislative elections.
The vote won't be a bookend for the debate. By
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