Nebraska voters will decide in November whether they want to expand Medicaid to nearly 90,000 individuals.
The state’s top election official on Friday announced that a campaign to get the issue on the ballot had met all of its requirements.
Insure the Good Life, the ballot initiative committee, exceeded the signature requirement by more than 20,000 to obtain 104,477 valid signatures, Secretary of State John Gale (R) said in a statement.
“The measure will be placed on the 2018 general election ballot, barring an order from the district court handling the pending lawsuit that challenges the initiative petition,” Gale said.
A lawsuit filed by two opponents of Medicaid expansion is pending in a district court in Nebraska. The judge said she would make a decision as soon as possible, according to omaha.com.
Nebraska is the fourth state this year preparing to place Medicaid expansion on the November ballot.
Montana, Utah and Idaho all will have the question on their ballots.
“The movement to protect and expand access to health care is one of the most powerful forces in American politics today,” said Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project, a D.C.-based nonprofit that has financially supported these campaigns.
“Voters from across the political spectrum are revolting against politicians who are standing in the way of an America where every family can see a doctor without going bankrupt.”
Last year, Maine became the first state to expand Medicaid via voter referendum.