BOISE - A group of Idahoans says if lawmakers won't do it - they will -- or at least they'll try.
The health care advocacy group Medicaid for Idaho announced that they've gathered more than half the number of signatures needed to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot.
They must have 56,000 signatures of registered voter by May first to put Medicaid expansion on the November ballot.
If the measure passes in November, it would extend health coverage to 78,000 uninsured Idahoans, those in the so-called “health care coverage gap” who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid and too little to be eligible for a tax credit through the state insurance exchange.
In the meantime, the Legislature is working on a solution to deal with Idaho's coverage gap as well. A bill that would cover about half of Idaho's uninsured has advanced to the House floor.
Medicaid for Idaho announced Tuesday that they've collected 29,000 of the 56,000 signatures needed to put the measure on the ballot.
“They decided at the end of summer to go the ballot initiative way because they didn't trust the Legislature to expand Medicaid because they haven't for six years,” said Sam Sandmire, Medicaid for Idaho.
If passed, Sandmire says the majority of the cost would be picked up by the federal government.
“Ninety percent of the dollars for Medicaid expansion are covered by federal dollars, so taxes that we Idahoans have paid into but is currently going to other states that have had the wisdom to expand Medicaid,” said Sandmire.
The state would be responsible for the remaining 10 percent of expenses, which Medicaid for Idaho representatives didn't have the exact figures for, but they say it would be cheaper than what the state pays for now when any of the 78,000 uninsured go to the emergency room.
“People without coverage wait until they are really sick then they go to the emergency room and then our county tax dollars, county indigent fund and catastrophic fund pay 100 percent of that very expensive care that they are getting in the emergency rooms,” said Sandmire.
Meanwhile, an effort dubbed the Idaho Health Care Plan passed a House committee Monday. It would insure about 35,000 Idahoans in the "gap." While the plan is supported by Gov. Butch Otter, it barely passed out of committee with a 7 to 5 vote.
“The common argument to them is it’s an expansion of Medicaid, and our argument is were just using Medicaid, we’re not adding populations to it, we’re redefining Medicaid and using it as a high risk re-insurance pool,” said Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa.
Medicaid for Idaho says they support the Idaho Health Care Plan because it will cover part of the gap, but they are hopeful the group will gather enough signatures to put their initiative on the ballot so all those living in Idaho can have health care coverage.