Missouri voters will decide measure August 4 regarding Medicaid expansion
Monday’s Brew highlighted the more than 1,500 elections we’re covering among five states on Tuesday, August 4. In addition, there is also one statewide ballot measure our team is covering. Missouri voters will decide a state constitutional amendment regarding Medicaid.
Missouri Amendment 2—the Medicaid Expansion Initiative—would:
-
expand Medicaid to those with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level under the Affordable Care Act,
-
requiring the state to seek maximum federal funding of Medicaid expansion
-
prohibit any additional restrictions for the expanded population to qualify for Medicaid coverage.
Sponsors of initiated constitutional amendments in Missouri must submit petition signatures equal to eight percent of the votes cast in the previous gubernatorial election from six of the state’s eight congressional districts. Thus, the number of required signatures depends on the congressional districts in which signatures were collected. Based on the specific districts used, 172,015 valid signatures were required. State officials determined that initiative sponsors submitted 258,686 valid signatures in those districts.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) announced May 26 that the measure would be on the Aug. 4 ballot. In a press release announcing his decision, Parson said, “Pass or fail, it is important that we understand the implications of Medicaid expansion as soon as possible. Placing the initiative on the August ballot will give us more time to prepare and account for the outcome in our state budget.”
Maine was the first state to expand Medicaid through a ballot initiative in 2017. Voters in Idaho, Nebraska, and Utah approved ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid in 2018. A 2018 Montana initiative that would have renewed Medicaid expansion and increased tobacco taxes was defeated. On June 30, Oklahoma voters approved an initiative to expand Medicaid, 50.5% to 49.5%. A total of 37 states and Washington, D.C., have expanded or voted to expand Medicaid. The 13 states that have not expanded Medicaid all have Republican-controlled legislatures. Ten have Republican governors and three have Democratic governors.
|
