BIG BALLOT MEASURES (II) — Other measures across the health care spectrum, though not focused on as much as abortion, are on the ballot Tuesday. — MEDICAID EXPANSION. We may be at the end of an era with South Dakota’s ballot initiative to expand Medicaid under Obamacare. The vote may be one of the last in the near future where voters can decide whether to grow the program. Of the 11 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid, only three have the option of getting it done through a ballot measure (and none of the three seem close to a campaign to do it). South Dakota will become the seventh GOP-controlled state to expand Medicaid if voters say yes to its measure. — A MEDICAL DEBT MODEL? Arizona voters will decide whether to prevent creditors from gouging people with medical bills. It’s an approach that could be a model for Democrats in red states , especially in the absence of a federal package to address the issue. The measure would significantly reduce the amount of interest that can be charged for medical debt — from 10 to 3 percent. It would also increase the value of the debtor’s home protection from $250,000 to $400,000 — and decrease the portion of weekly disposable income subject to debt collection from 25 percent to 10 percent. Democrats in red states might view the ballot measure as another way to enact progressive policy when right-leaning state governments are unlikely to do so. — HEALTH AS A HUMAN RIGHT. A ballot initiative in Oregon would, if passed, make health care a human right under the state constitution. The state would be obligated to ensure every Oregonian has access to health care, which has led to lawmakers disagreeing about the measure’s cost and implications. Though it hasn’t been given much national attention amid the flood of abortion policies, the measure is another strategy to further involve the government in health care at the state level. — A BAN ON FLAVORED VAPES. California is considering a measure that would ban flavored tobacco. The results may point to the ways tobacco regulations could continue changing across the country well beyond the midterms. The initiative led anti-smoking advocates to outspend the tobacco industry in efforts to support the ban. — MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION. Several states are putting marijuana legalization on the ballot for voters to decide. The measures, though some vary from state to state, focus on legalizing recreational use — and are being considered in Arkansas, Maryland, Missouri, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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