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Boundary County shows up for Women's March II |
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January 22, 2018 |
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| Some of
those attending Saturday's Women's March
II from Boundary County (not all shown
here and not all shown being named) were
Elsie Hollenbeck, Debbie Jordan, Diana
Tombleson, Jane and Charlie McCrum, Deb
Flory, Craig Kelson, Gerry Ann and Steve
Howlett, Angela, Kathy Sheffler, Denise
Thompson, Linda Sue, Colleen Mooney, and
Mitch Rivkin. |
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By Mike Weland
Several Boundary County residents participated
in the second annual Women's March at Sandpoint
Middle School Saturday, where a diverse and
varied crowd enjoyed a variety of booths,
including Sandpoint Seniors, Paulette Jordan for
Governor, and Medicaid for Idaho sign up booths
for North Idaho counties including Boundary,
Bonner and Kootenai.
There was a very near full house attending the
event in the school gym, not just on the gym
floor, but filling the balcony above.
There were
myriad signs touting myriad stances, "Trump is
my President" bobbing inches away from "Not my
President" signs. Pro Life, pro choice.
And the
most ubiquitous by far, a picture of Idaho with
a heart over her, and the words, "Love Lives
Here."
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| Kate
McAlister |
Kate McAlister, president of the Greater
Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce and a Democratic
candidate for the Idaho House District 1B seat,
emceed the event with deft humor and gracious
introductions.
Keynote speaker was
Representative Paulette Jordan, Plummer, a
Democratic candidate for governor.
The Reclaim Idaho theme of the Women's March
stressed health care for all Idahoans, including
78,000 individuals in our state who fall in the
health insurance coverage gap.
"Many of these individuals work two or three
jobs but still cannot afford health insurance,"
Medicaid for Idaho organizers wrote. "The
initiative will put Medicaid coverage for those
citizens in Idaho who fall in that gap on the
ballot in November."
If enough signatures are gained, voters will
have the opportunity to vote in November on
whether to expand Medicaid to Idahoans who earn
less than $16,000 a year if they are single and
$22,000 a year for a family of two. If approved,
proponents say 90% of the cost would be funded
by the federal government, ensuring that federal
tax dollars currently sent out of state will
remain in Idaho to help other Idahoans.
A report by the Idaho Workgroup on Medicaid
Redesign commissioned by Governor Otter, they
say, predicts that Medicaid Expansion would
support over 14,000 jobs and generate
$46-million per year in new revenue. Moreover,
Medicaid Expansion would save millions for the
state general fund by relieving the costs of
state-funded indigent care services.
Story continues below photo
"Opponents of Medicaid Expansion commonly ask,
'Who will pay for it?'" they write "The truth is
that we are already paying for it. Our federal
tax dollars are currently funding the Medicaid
expansions of other states. In the first year
alone, Medicaid Expansion would bring over
$720-million of our own tax dollars back into
Idaho."
A recent Boise State survey found that 70
percent of Idahoans favor legislative action to
close the Medicaid gap. Medicaid expansion has
enjoyed substantial support from voters in both
parties. Eleven states led by Republicans have
expanded Medicaid.
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Debbie Flory,
left, working to get signatures on the
Medicaid for Idaho Initiative petition.
Despite the sign, she was covering
Boundary County's spot on the table! |
Working to get Boundary County signatures on the
Medicaid for Idaho Initiative petitions was
Boundary County Democratic Central Committee
chair Debbie Flory.
"We collected about 20 signatures, Bonner County
collected over 500, and I'm not sure about
Kootenai County," she said. "A lot of the
marchers from Boundary had already signed.
That's why we didn't have more. I was happy to
see how many people showed up to the event. I
worried that not as many people would be there,
compared to last year, but was very surprised to
see that there were as many or more. People have
not lost their energy or commitment."
According to Flory, 411 District 1 voters had
signed and had their signatures certified prior
to Saturday's march, and another 300 signatures
were waiting to be processed at county election
offices in the district. The minimum number of
District 1 certified signatures in 1,780, so
those collected during the march on Saturday
helped, but there's still a long way to go.
Boundary County voters who want to sign the
petition can sign at CrossTime Saloon/Heart Rock
Wines in the Bonnerport Mall off the city
parking lot. People who want to carry a petition
can email Flory at
debflory34@yahoo.com, or go to
https://medicaidforidaho.org/
to download a petition.
Completed petitions need to be notarized and
delivered to the courthouse when they are
completed.
The Medicaid for Idaho campaign is a project of
Reclaim Idaho, a non-partisan, volunteer-led
organization that advocates for strong public
schools, protected public lands and affordable
healthcare for Idaho's working families. Learn
more at
www.reclaimidaho.org. |
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