No headline

In Bonner County, 120 volunteers collected valid signatures from 2574 registered voters on a petition to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot. Thank you.

Now it is time to take the next step, and vote yes. Look for Proposition 2 on the ballot.

Statewide, over 1,000 volunteers collected 54,000 signatures, 96 percent of the required 56,192 signatures to put this on the ballot. Most of these volunteers already have their own insurance, but put out this huge, nonpartisan effort for the sake of 62,000 Idahoans who do not have health care.

Why did the Reclaim Idaho volunteers work so hard to get this onto the ballot? One volunteer said, “One of my best friends died because she was in the gap and had no way to get the medical treatments she needed.” Another said, “My friend lost his eyesight in one eye because he was in the gap and could not afford the specialist needed to save his vision.” Another said, “ My nephew works two jobs and still has no way to afford health insurance.”

Prop 2 brings $400 million of our tax dollars back to Idaho, creating 5,300 new jobs and the tax revenue of $20 million from those jobs. It is estimated that there will be a $10 million savings per year that could be used for education. It is endorsed by the Idaho Sheriff’s Association. Compassionate Idahoans now have the opportunity to help hard working Idahoans who fall in the healthcare gap to gain the healthcare they need by voting yes on Prop 2.

SHAKURA YOUNG

Sandpoint