Idaho's Republican governor endorses ballot initiative to expand Medicaid
Republican Idaho Gov. Butch Otter endorsed a ballot initiative to expand Medicaid in his state. The measure will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.
"I strongly support expanding healthcare to folks who need it," Otter said in a news release from Idahoans for Healthcare, which is leading the effort. "It's good sense and it's the right thing to do."
The initiative would extend Medicaid to an additional 62,000 adults and bring $400 million in federal funding to the state. These people fall into the Medicaid coverage gap, since they make too much money to currently qualify for the program but not enough to get subsidized insurance through state exchanges.
Otter is not running for re-election. Expanding Medicaid is on the ballots in three Republican states: Idaho, Utah and Nebraska. Idaho has a Republican legislature, which would have to approve the measure.
Thirty-three states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid to cover more individuals, as allowed under the Affordable Care Act. The federal government pays 90 percent of the cost. Idaho is one of 17 states that have not opted to expand Medicaid coverage to date.