Thursday, December 14, 2017

YOU Can Make a Difference




If you are an Idaho resident and don't read this clear to the end, please remember that signing the Medicaid for Idaho petition is a win-win situation.

By signing a petition, you are simply ensuring that the Initiative to expand Medicaid will be on next year's Idaho ballot.  How you vote at election time is up to you. 

So, let's give this Initiative a chance to go before all the people around the entire state!  Thank you. 

That said, I'll be thrilled and very appreciative if you read on. . . .  even more thrilled if you share this message with other Idahoans. 



I received a telephone call yesterday from a knowledgeable and pleasant lady named Linda Larson. 

She called precisely at the moment I had loaded the above flyer to my blog dashboard. 


Linda was actually trying to reach my daughter-in-law Debbie Love, but she was more than happy to visit with me instead.



Linda is a dedicated volunteer for the Reclaim Idaho movement.  

Her purpose for calling several local citizens yesterday was to inform area residents about Saturday morning's general kickoff of Reclaim Idaho's Medicaid for Idaho petition campaign.  

The event, scheduled for Community Hall beginning at 11 a.m., will include general information about the statewide campaign and the opportunity to sign petitions as well as obtain petitions for collecting signatures.  


In addition, three other events this weekend, noted in the flyer above, will provide flexible timing and geographic opportunities to sign or obtain petitions and meet the Reclaim Idaho founders. 

Organizers are hoping to gather enough signatures to allow a 2018 ballot Initiative, seeking the expansion Medicaid in Idaho.  MedicaidForIdaho.org


This effort has been spearheaded by two of my former students, Luke Mayville and Garrett Strizich, along with their wide net of enthusiastic volunteers across the state. 

Luke Mayville teaches at Columbia University in New York City, while Garrett is advancing his education to become a doctor, practicing rural medicine.  Both graduated from Sandpoint High School in 2003.  


Dr. Luke Mayville

Soon-to-be Dr. Garrett Strizich


Over the past several months, these young men and their statewide team of volunteers have devoted virtually every spare moment in busy schedules to establish the Reclaim Idaho movement as a viable way for citizens to have an effective voice in state and local issues.

I can say, with both conviction and deep pride, that these amazing and gifted young men's ambitious efforts over the past year have been unselfish, visionary and truly grass roots. 

They seek to involve citizen input and participation in virtually every level of their three general goals of heightening support for public education, ensuring the long-term availability of public lands and expanding Medicaid in Idaho. 


Readers may recall that Luke and Garrett and other volunteers drove their vintage, green Medicaid Mobile around the state last summer, making stops in communities, large and small, to speak to residents and to bring awareness to the Medicaid Gap.  

This gap includes nearly 80,000 Idahoans whose earnings are too high to qualify for Medicaid but not high enough for them to afford medical insurance.  Expansion of Medicaid would allow these working Idahoans to receive coverage.  

Medicaid expansion would also save the state and counties  substantial amounts often incurred by hardship cases where patients are unable to pay high medical bills, resulting from catastrophic medical issues. 

During my discussion with Linda yesterday, she cited two examples.  

One involves a young couple with two children. Both work, and the mother is furthering her education.  Since they do not qualify for Medicaid, paying for insurance would cost them $800 a month. 

In another case, a gentleman with an eye problem waited over a weekend for treatment because he could not afford to pay.  As the condition worsened, he went to the doctor, only to learn that he had lost his sight.  

This example turned out to be a financial hardship case, which is paid for through county funds.  Had he been eligible for Medicaid, he may still have his sight and his treatment would be covered. 

People in the Medicaid Gap are generally employed and working hard to make ends meet. Their earnings level simply causes them to fall between the cracks. 

With that in mind, it's safe to say that if Idaho expanded its Medicaid coverage, state and county entities would benefit as well as thousands of recipients.  This has been documented in other states which have chosen to expand Medicaid coverage. 

So, this weekend's series of Medicaid-expansion gatherings provides an opportunity for citizens to help in the process, either by simply signing petitions or by circulating petitions. 

Luke and his team have also simplified the petition process, making it possible for some folks to help out from the comfort of their own homes.  

By visiting www.medicaidforidaho.org, volunteers can print their own petitions, circulate them among family and friends.  

One important note, which I have learned through my own blooper:  the fine print says that the bearer of the petition must sign a separate petition in the presence of a witness.  So, I'll be print off another copy for collecting signatures and signing someone else's petition. 

Once filled and notarized, petitions can be dropped off at the Bonner County Elections office in the county building on HWY 2 aka Dover highway.  

They can also be mailed to Reclaim Idaho---the address can be found at the website. 

Finally, if you don't know a notary, Linda Larson can take care of that for you.  She is a Notary Public, and, as the local leader for the petition drive until Jan. 9, she can notarize and collect petitions.

You can contact her via email at Larson.linda@gmail.com or by calling 208-255-6855. 

When I think of Luke and Garrett's vision and their classic grass-root approach, I remember a time years ago when Mass had ended at St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

I loved it when the choir sang the final hymn, which included the simple words, "If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be." 

I have observed Luke and Garrett lighting the first candles in their movement.  Since then, as more and more citizens have gotten involved in this noble cause, the future for our state is looking brighter, one volunteer at a time. 




Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Get involved if you can, even it you gather just a few signatures, it all adds up, just like all those candles. 




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