Ballot propositions to join the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion passed by solid margins in three traditionally conservative states -- Utah, Idaho, and Nebraska -- last night. With a nod to the song "New York, New York," I would say that, in terms of public opinion, if Medicaid expansion can make it there (Utah, Idaho, and Nebraska), it can make it anywhere.
According to this Kaiser Family Foundation article, "Following the election, 37 states including the District of Columbia have adopted the ACA’s Medicaid expansion." Results from gubernatorial elections in three additional states -- Maine, Wisconsin, and Kansas -- may lead to expansion there, as well.
A measure to extend Montana's Medicaid expansion with funding through taxes on cigarette products failed. According to local coverage:
Money from the tax would have helped finance the state share of Medicaid expansion, which currently provides government-funded health coverage to nearly 100,000 low-income adults in Montana. The federal government covers 90 percent of its cost.
[Initiative] 185 also would have made permanent the Medicaid expansion program, which is scheduled to expire next June.
