Medicaid expansion is coming to Idaho if the people have their way. Dozens of volunteers, led by Reclaim Idaho's Emily Strizich, Luke Mayville, and Republican State Representative Christy Perry, officially delivered petition signatures Friday morning to put Medicaid expansion on this fall's ballot. A human chain of volunteers stretched up the capitol steps, around the rotunda, and down the hall to the secretary of state's office, passing the boxes of petitions volunteers had gathered from counties around the state. They turned in over 70,000 signatures, easily surpassing the required 56,192.
Rep. Perry is co-chairing the effort, bucking her party's official opposition to the ballot initiative. She spoke to the crowd of several dozen volunteers and supporters of her frustration seeing the legislature "come up short year after year" in trying to fix the coverage gap. "It’s always politics that gets in the way," she said, telling the crowd that "now it's your turn. The will of the people will be heard and will be done." It's not a partisan issue, she said, but a "human issue," noting that 62,000 Idahoans fall in the coverage gap of making too much to qualify for traditional Medicaid and not enough to afford to buy on the health insurance exchange. "Don't let them slip through the cracks in the system any longer," she implored.
The state spent $30 million on uncompensated care last year, she said, noting that "we're already paying the bills," while sending millions in tax dollars to the federal government that is being spent on expanded Medicaid coverage in 30 other states.
Dr. Bruce Belzer, a Boise physician, voiced the frustration of medical providers who attended who see too many patients when it's too late to help. He talked about "Steve," who he called a protoypical Idahoan—"worked hard, prayed, took care of himself"—but died from cancer because he didn't have insurance and delayed care. "Doc," he recalled Steve telling him, "I'm not looking for a hand-out, I just want a fighting chance." If he'd had insurance, Belzer said, "I'm convinced he would still be here." From the patient's perspective, Marine veteran and native Idahoan Josh Blessinger spoke about the challenge his family is facing. While he gets "terrific care at the VA," he says, for his Iraq War service related MS and PTSD, his wife and special needs kids are in the coverage gap, despite the fact that she works full-time. She fell ill and needs surgery that they can't afford. "We've talked about moving out of state," he said, "but this is our home."
The issue cuts across partisan lines, both Perry and Strizich stressed. Strizich talked about her experience going door-to-door to collect signatures, and one door in particular. "There was this big 'don't tread on me flag,'" on the porch of the house. She assumed she was going to get a door slammed in her face, but instead "there was a grandmother who enthusiastically signed the petition. Then called her husband to the door to sign it, then her adult daughter. Then she got on the phone to her neighbor, and said 'there's this pregnant lady who's going to come to your door, and you have to sign her petition." The visit ended, Strizich said, by this older woman giving her a bag of baby clothes. Being uninsured, Strizich stressed, crosses partisan lines. In a state this size, everyone knows someone who can't get health care.
"Today we celebrate this great accomplishment," Strizich told the crowd, "and tomorrow we get back to work." Getting these signatures was an accomplishment, since Idaho's Republican legislature made ballot qualification an extremely difficult process requiring not just signatures from 6 percent of the population of registered voters, but 6 percent of registered voters in at least 18 of the 35 state legislative districts. That means going to some far-flung reaches of the state. The Medicaid for Idaho volunteers are prepared to repeat that performance, this time to get out the vote.