Among those who live in states that have not expanded Medicaid, 61% support expansion while 29% want the program to remain as is, according to a poll conducted in February by KFF, a nonprofit focusing on health policy and analysis. Those views were endorsed in referendums in Oklahoma in June and Missouri on Aug. 4 supporting expansion in those states. Twelve states continue to opt out of broader Medicaid coverage.
Expanding eligibility for Medicaid, which provides health-insurance for lower-income people, was one the 2010 Affordable Care Act's measures to expand health insurance coverage. In 2012, the Supreme Court blocked the law's Medicaid mandate, leaving the decision to participate up to each state.