{"id":17893,"date":"2018-11-07T14:58:23","date_gmt":"2018-11-07T14:58:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2018\/11\/07\/a-winning-idea-medicaid-expansion-prevails-in-idaho-nebraska-and-utah\/"},"modified":"2018-11-07T14:58:23","modified_gmt":"2018-11-07T14:58:23","slug":"a-winning-idea-medicaid-expansion-prevails-in-idaho-nebraska-and-utah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/a-winning-idea-medicaid-expansion-prevails-in-idaho-nebraska-and-utah\/","title":{"rendered":"A Winning Idea: Medicaid Expansion Prevails In Idaho, Nebraska And Utah"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Alison Kodjak<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n “Most of us are ecstatic” about Medicaid expansion in Utah, said Grant Burningham, of Bountiful. “We were all together and hugging and kissing last night.”<\/p>\n

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Kim Raff for NPR<\/p>\n

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Kim Raff for NPR<\/p>\n

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Voters in three traditionally Republican states supported ballot measures<\/a> to extend Medicaid benefits to more low-income adults. <\/p>\n

The results highlight the divide between voters, even in conservative states, who generally support providing health benefits to the poor, and conservative politicians who have rejected the expansion, which is a central part of the Affordable Care Act. <\/p>\n

With the approval of the measures in Idaho, Utah and Nebraska, about 300,000 low-income people will gain access to health care coverage, according to estimates from government agencies and advocacy groups in those states.<\/p>\n

“People are enthusiastic about Medicaid expansion because they recognize that it’s both good for health care but it’s also a compassionate thing to do,” says Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project<\/a>, which worked to get the questions on the ballots of the four states. “And it’s a financially sound thing to do. It’s a fiscally responsible thing to do.” <\/p>\n

The Fairness Project is funded by the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West, a California health care workers union. <\/p>\n

Voters in Montana, however, appeared to reject a proposal<\/a> to raise taxes on tobacco and e-cigarettes to continue funding the state’s expansion of Medicaid, which is set to sunset next year, leaving 100,000 Montanans at risk of losing coverage. <\/p>\n