Rally calls on legislators to fill Medicaid gap

BOISE — After years of the Medicaid gap population being left largely uninsured, some Idahoans are taking direct action to try to make lawmakers listen.

Over 100 protesters, including more than 10 physicians, took their message to the Idaho State Capitol Thursday for the “Close the Gap” rally. They called on state legislators to act to help those in the Medicaid gap — people who make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to receive subsidized healthcare on the state exchange.

“This is a life-or-death issue. Hard-working Idahoans deserve affordable healthcare,” one physician said. Another physician in a residency in Boise, Dr. Ryan Billington, said “this is a crisis for us, individually, and collectively as a state.”

Idaho lawmakers were close to acting on the Medicaid gap this year, as a proposal that would have insured about 36,000 of the gap’s 70,000 made it to the House.

After sitting on the reading calendar, The Idaho Health Care Plan was pulled back to committee on a 53-15 vote because leadership felt there wasn’t enough support for it to pass.

When the rally’s speech portion wrapped up, protesters split into groups. Some went up to Gov. Butch Otter’s office, chanting and calling for action on the IHCP, others, stood outside the House chambers.

“We’re going to demand that the governor come out publicly and tell us what he thinks about this bill. We’re going to demand that the governor find his courage … and demand that Speaker (Scott) Bedke pull this (bill) … for a vote,” a protester shouted outside Otter’s office.

Kyle Pfannenstiel covers the 2018 Idaho Legislature for the University of Idaho McClure Center for Public Policy Research.