Here's why I didn't sign Prop 2 petition

Why would we need to expand Medicaid in Idaho? That question was answered as I read Brent Regan’s guest opinion piece “Idahoans deserve truth about ‘Reclaim Idaho.’”

I did not fall prey to the clever tactics of the signature gatherers last fall as they filled up their petition pages with the names of unsuspecting voters. I listened to the appeal presented by the pleasant, well-spoken woman at the post office in Cd’A and declined to sign. She returned to the post office every day for weeks, persuading others with her well-rehearsed script.

As I personally contemplated why we needed to expand Medicaid in Idaho, I reflected on how my husband and I had managed our own health care needs over 40 years of marriage. As small business owners, health insurance had not been an option for our family. We cooked from scratch, ate healthy, and exercised. Most importantly, we avoided detrimental habits.

Our children did not go to the doctor for simple ailments like colds and flu, and when they needed medical attention for more serious things, we paid for the visits ourselves.

Yes, there were some hospital bills, and we took advantage of the Kootenai County assistance program, which paid the bill for us and set up no-interest, affordable payments, which we gladly made until we were free and clear. Kootenai Health has a similar option for those who do not have insurance.

Neither of these options disqualifies people on the basis of income. In an emergency, care is available to everyone. So why would we need to expand Medicaid in Idaho? I began to wonder who was really behind the signature gathering.

Thanks to Brent Regan’s Op-Ed, I now know. Big money from outside Idaho swooped in masquerading as a “grassroots effort.” A California union president paid signature gatherers and flooded the airwaves with ads.

“Reclaim Idaho” successfully hijacked our state initiative process to advance their own progressive agenda. They are doing the same thing in other states that have citizen referendum options. People, before you sign any more petitions or believe the sales pitch of people you don’t know, go home and do your research. Idaho may be filled with country folk, but we don’t have to be country bumpkins.

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Anne Patterson is a Coeur d’Alene resident.