Ricketts Defends 2-Year Time Frame To Expand Medicaid

LINCOLN- Nebraska residents who qualify for expanded Medicaid under the federal health care law can start enrolling next month.

Governor Pete Ricketts is defending the state’s nearly two-year time frame to offer coverage after voters approved it. Ricketts says Nebraska will open enrollment on August 1, and coverage will begin as scheduled on October 1. The roll-out begins nearly two years after Nebraska voters approved a measure to expand Medicaid coverage in the November 2018 election over the objections of Ricketts and conservative groups.

Nebraska lawmakers and governors repeatedly rejected attempts to expand coverage, prompting a statewide ballot campaign that won with 54% support, mostly from the Omaha and Lincoln areas.