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My healthcare story is about a woman who had a pre-existing condition back before the Affordable Care Act. The medicine she needed cost $1,500 per month which was over half of her family’s income. After two years without proper care her joints were so badly damaged that she qualified for disability and received Medicare and finally got the medicine she needed. How crazy is it that a person must become badly disabled before he or she can get healthcare?

Every year in the U.S., 41 people out of 100,000 will be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (healthline.com). There are currently 78,000 people in Idaho in the Medicaid gap which means that there could be as many as 32 people in this group with a recent diagnosis of RA.

For every month that a person goes without treatment their joints will suffer permanent damage. Thinking about these 32 people in Idaho who may be going through this extremely painful and debilitating disease keeps me up at night.

Please join me in my efforts to close the Medicaid gap by signing a petition or by printing off a petition and finding 10 friends and family members to sign. I know this takes time and effort, but people in our state are suffering and they need our help.

You can sign the petition at Women’s Healthcare 1215 Michigan St., Suite C, or Panhandle Art Glass, 514 Pine St. Find out more about how you can help at medicaidforidaho.org .

LILLIE HAWKINS

Sandpoint