Idaho's success begins with healthy families
The plight of Idaho’s working poor is a day-to-day struggle. This is especially true for rural families who live with underfunded schools, low wages, and limited access to childcare and early-childhood education. Thankfully, however, tens of thousands of Idaho families will soon have access to quality healthcare through voter-approved Medicaid Expansion. Many of those in the “gap” population will see a doctor for the first time in their adult lives. Mothers and fathers all over the state will have the opportunity to become healthier and stronger, be more productive and have a fair shot at success in our great state.
For these reasons and so many more, Medicaid Expansion is Idaho’s greatest legislative achievement in a generation. It is a testament to all of those individuals and organizations who have worked for years to expand Medicaid and to the volunteers and voters who worked tirelessly and showed up on Election Day to cast ballots — overwhelmingly — for their family, friends and neighbors. The people of Idaho have much to be proud of when it comes to advocating for, and approving, Medicaid Expansion.
It is within that spirit that the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians presented its Advocacy Award this year to Reclaim Idaho — the volunteer group which helped mobilize an entire state to pass Proposition Two. The effort to pass Medicaid Expansion has been in the works for years by dedicated activists from Close the Gap Idaho and embodies not only the compassion and good sense of every Idahoan, but the desire to act positively in the face of a crisis. Everyday Idahoans from Sandpoint to Montpelier and all points in between steadfastly knocked on doors, talked with people in their communities, and later testified in countless hearings about the benefits of Medicaid Expansion from a fiscal perspective and a humane point of view. That message stirred more than 360,000 Idahoans of all walks of life to go to the polls and pass a measure that will bring hundreds of millions of dollars back to Idaho, buoy our rural hospitals which struggle to stay open every year, and create a state where hope is just a little bit stronger for every Gem State resident, no matter their zip code.
We must not lose sight of the incredible achievement of the people of Idaho. Medicaid expansion in Idaho will be an ongoing effort with the citizens of Idaho, the Legislature and the Governor, as we continue to work together for the benefit of the health of all Idahoans.
November 1, 2019 will be the first day of open enrollment for Medicaid Expansion. Coverage will become effective January 1, 2020. Mark those days on your calendar. They represent the dawn of a new day for thousands of Idaho families and numerous Idaho communities. New Year’s Day 2020 will bring with it not just the beginning of a new decade, but the start of something so many of us take for granted: going to a doctor’s office. For the first time in years, thousands of Idaho families will feel more secure and confident in their future.
Such a life-saving opportunity is something every Idahoan should celebrate.
Dr. Ted Epperly is president of the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians. Luke Mayville is the co-founder of Reclaim Idaho.