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My story is about a man who works really hard and supports a child and falls into the Medicaid gap. He makes too much to qualify for Idaho’s Medicaid program, but not enough to qualify for the ACA health insurance subsidies and of course not enough to afford to buy insurance. He got a small piece of insulation in his eye at work, waited to get treatment because he did not have insurance and ended up in two ERs at a cost of over $7,000 and is now blind in one eye. He qualified for the hospital program that waives bills for low income people so the taxpayers paid his bill.

There is a better way: Medicaid expansion. This is a program that has been available to Idaho since 2011 and yet our Idaho government chose to turn away millions of dollars of federal money instead of accepting that money to help cover Idahoans like my friend.

If you want to see our state accept our tax dollars back into Idaho for 78,000 people, create 14,000 new jobs and save taxpayer dollars, please sign the Medicaid Expansion petition that will put this on the ballot in November. We the people can then decide if expanding Medicaid is best for Idahoans.

You can sign the petition at Women’s Healthcare 1215 Michigan St., Suite C, or Panhandle Art Glass, 514 Pine St. Thank you for standing up for your working neighbors and friends.

LINDA LARSON

Sandpoint