Maine voters approve Medicaid expansion; Ohio drug pricing measure rejected

Voters in Maine yesterday approved a ballot measure that would allow at least 80,000 low-income Maine residents to qualify for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Maine will be the 33rd state (including D.C.) to expand the program under the ACA. It also is the first state in which voters, not governors or legislators, decided the issue. Under the expansion, Maine will be able to provide Medicaid health care coverage for qualified adults under age 65 with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. “Hospitals are very pleased that Maine voters overwhelmingly endorsed expanding Medicaid coverage to thousands of our citizens,” said Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association. “It’s good for patients, providers and the Maine economy.” Maine Gov. Paul LePage said today he won’t implement the expansion until the state legislature determines how to fund the state’s share of the cost. Yesterday, voters in Ohio rejected a proposal that would have required that state agencies purchase prescription drugs at prices no higher than prices paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which usually gets the lowest prices on medicines.