Medicaid expansion on November 8 ballot in South Dakota

By Dana Hess

For the S.D. Newspaper Association

Expanding Medicaid in South Dakota is either a prudent use of tax dollars designed to enhance health care coverage or a disaster that will bust the state budget. Those are the arguments offered by backers and opponents of Amendment D, a measure that would expand access to Medicaid in the state.

Funded by the state and the federal governments, Medicaid provides medical coverage for low-income people. Amendment D expands Medicaid benefits to any person age 18 or under 65 whose income is at or below 133% of the federal poverty level. Amendment D is...