By Caitlin Copple Masingill
Precinct Captain for District 16, Precinct 1608
Idahoans have the chance to expand Medicaid on November 6 by voting “yes” on Proposition 2. Initiatives and referendums are less common in Idaho than in neighboring states, mostly because it’s harder to qualify. However, thanks to groups like Reclaim Idaho, the Close the Gap coalition, and Idahoans for Healthcare, our state is closer than ever before to enacting positive change through the direct power of the voters. A recent poll found that more than 66% of Idaho voters support Prop. 2.
If Prop. 2 passes, as many as 62,000 Idahoans would gain access to healthcare – many for the first time. Idahoans who would gain coverage include working moms and dads and seniors nearing retirement age, many of whom have been stuck in the “coverage” gap because they earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid and too little to be eligible for Idaho’s health insurance exchange.
Proposition 2 fixes this problem by making sure Idahoans who earn less than $17,000 a year for a single person or $29,000 for a family of three (up to 138% of the federal poverty level) can access the healthcare they need. Right now, these Idahoans mostly rely on emergency rooms for care, which is the most expensive to taxpayers. A fiscal analysis by the Idaho department of Health and Welfare found that Medicaid expansion would reduce costs to state and county governments, resulting in a net savings of more than $15 million a year.
While healthcare for all is increasingly a rallying cry among Democrats, this initiative has strong bipartisan support, with endorsements from physicians groups, the Boise Metro Chamber, the Idaho Hospital Association, Idaho Rural Health Association, and United Way of the Treasure Valley, among others. Thirty-three other states, including 17 with Republican governors, have already expanded Medicaid, because it works.
If you’d like to get involved with the campaign, you can sign up to volunteer at a phone bank, neighborhood canvass, or write a letter to the editor today.