Medicaid expansion passes; lawmakers must now decide how to pay for it

LINCOLN — Nebraska became the 34th state Tuesday to expand access to Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program for low-income people.

With just over 53 percent of the votes cast, Initiative 427 passed. It amends state law with the goal of bringing Medicaid coverage to an estimated 90,000 Nebraskans — ages 19 to 64 and under the federal poverty line — and creating jobs in the health care industry.

It’s a win for the nonprofit Medicaid expansion organization Insure the Good Life, which pulled together more than 135,000 signatures this summer to put the initiative on the ballot. Insure the Good Life coupled with the nonprofit advocacy organization Nebraska Appleseed and others to campaign for affordable health care for Nebraskans who otherwise don’t have or can’t qualify for medical insurance.

To read more please log in or subscribe to the digital edition https://etypeservices.com/Northeast%20Nebraska%20News%20CompanyID379/