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Having just visited a state that “flipped” six congressional seats from GOP to Democrats in last November’s election — the primary issue being health care — it was encouraging to see that Medicaid expansion passed in Idaho’s Legislature and that Gov. Brad Little vetoed attempts to weaken our ballot initiative process.

House Republicans weakened the Medicaid bill by removing able-bodied people who don’t meet work requirements despite the 61 percent of Idaho registered voters who approved the initiative without that limitation. (Idaho will have to get a waiver from the federal government to implement the work requirement.)

But the Medicaid expansion will provide access to preventative health care services for an estimated 91,000 low-income residents, with the federal government covering 90 percent of the estimated $400 million cost.

Governor Little’s veto of bills that would have made it dramatically more difficult to get an initiative or referendum on the ballot came because he questioned the bills’ “constitutional sufficiency and the unintended consequences of their passage.”

Opponents of the bills said it would make ballot initiatives nearly impossible and eliminate a way for voters to take direct action. Governor Little made the right decision, according to Democratic Sen. Grant Burgoyne, because the ballot initiatives can keep lawmakers in check.

“Initiatives are the wake-up call that you have to get every once in awhile from the people, “ he said, “and for Little to vindicate that is a good thing.”

JAMES W. RAMSEY

Sandpoint