As Mainers get ready to cast their votes for five citizen initiatives this November, a group of health advocates are already preparing for future ballot measures. Maine Equal Justice Partners will launch a signature drive Thursday aimed at putting expanded access to health care before voters in 2018.
Six previous attempts to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act have appeared before the Maine Legislature, but were vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage. Now health advocates will launch an effort to take the issue directly to the voters.
LePage contends that Maine can’t afford to expand medicaid, and says he’s skeptical that the federal government will live up to its commitment to foot most of the bill for Medicaid expansion.
Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government covers 100 percent of the cost Medicaid expansion through 2016, then ratchets down to 90 percent by 2020.
According to the Maine secretary of state’s office, if the signature drive is successful, the ballot initiative to expand access to health care would likely land on the ballot in 2018.
