A petition supporting Medicaid expansion in Nebraska has gathered 133,000 signatures, far surpassing the 85,000 required to put a proposal on the ballot in November, according to The Hill.
Insure the Good Life, a grassroots ballot initiative, is looking to expand Medicaid coverage to nearly 90,000 Nebraska residents who currently do not qualify for the program. State election officials have 40 days to review the petition's signatures to ensure they are valid.
State Sen. Adam Morfeld, D-District 46, said the opportunity to expand Medicaid is long overdue for Nebraskans.
"We are here today because we are seven years past due," Mr. Morfeld said at a news conference, according to The Hill. "Seven years of unnecessary financial hardships, bankruptcies and pain and suffering from Nebraskans and their families. If we had just passed Medicaid expansion seven years ago, we could have avoided all of that."