LINCOLN- Only a few days remain before thousands of Nebraskans will be getting healthcare through an expanded Medicaid program. This program took six years of legislative debate, petitions, a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling, a ballot measure and two years of preparation to happen.

Low-income Nebraskans say they already have doctors visits lined up after this expansion of Medicaid made new kinds of visits possible.

Legislators all remember the heart-wrenching stories Nebraskan's talk about while speaking about themselves and loved ones who could not get the coverage they needed. The launch will be especially helpful now because of the fallout from the pandemic. The governor says the program, called Heritage Health Adult, will be done right. Many believed this kind of expansion would never happen due to lack of funding in the state.

This expansion does not cover dental, vision or over-the-counter medications, however physical and mental healthcare as well as prescription drugs will be covered in the 'basic' tier of Medicaid benefits. Working-age adults whose incomes falls below 138% of the federal poverty level are covered, which is $17,609 for a single person or $36,156 for a family of four per year.

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