Volunteers will direct Idahoans to Medicaid ‘safety net’
Luke Mayville, who helped initiate Reclaim Idaho, speaks to about 30 people who turned out to see the Reclaim Idaho Medicaid Express last summer. Reclaim Idaho launched a new initiative Monday, Get Idaho Healthcare, to work toward making sure every Idahoan is covered during coronavirus layoffs and illness. (LOREN BENOIT/Press File)
Schroeder
Volunteers to direct folks to ‘safety net’
Reclaim Idaho, the statewide grassroots movement that pushed to get Medicaid Expansion on the 2018 ballot, launched a new initiative this week.
The goal of the Get Idaho Healthcare campaign is as simple as the name: to get as many Idahoans covered as possible, especially as the number of those experiencing job loss and illness is increasing.
"With our effort with Medicaid expansion, that is maybe more important than ever right now," Reclaim Idaho executive director Rebecca Schroeder said Tuesday. "We still know, according to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, between 15,000 to 20,000 Idahoans have yet to be enrolled."
She said Idaho is facing a global pandemic that has become a local issue. Reclaim Idaho will be using its network of at least 2,000 volunteers around the state to educate neighbors near and far about Medicaid and direct them to https://medicaidexpansion.idaho.gov using social media, email and phone calls to maintain social distancing.
"We could have thousands of newly eligible folks that might not be aware they can get Medicaid," Schroeder said. "When we personally know people that may be newly eligible, when you lose those benefits, Medicaid is a safety net that is there for you."
It was with heavy hearts that the Reclaim Idaho team in mid-March suspended its signature-gathering efforts for its Invest in Idaho initiative, Schroeder said. Had it passed, the measure would have provided $170 million for K-12 education across the state.
But as coronavirus hit, Reclaim halted that operation for the safety of volunteers and residents. The initiative needed 55,057 signatures and had collected more than 30,000.
Looking at the long term, Schroeder said, Reclaim put out a survey that received 600 responses from volunteers who are willing to continue Reclaim's work, just in a different way.
"What we need is for people to feel like they can go and get services and not have that legitimate fear that many people have that, 'I can't afford this,'" Schroeder said. "It’s never been more important to know that getting sick is not going to be financially devastating."
Reclaim Idaho will be conducting virtual tours with local teams, working on strategies and setting goals about how many people teams will be able to enroll in Medicaid.
As of March 19, close to 68,000 Idahoans had enrolled in the program. Nearly 5,800 of those signed up are in Kootenai County.
Schroeder said with coronavirus, Idaho's Medicaid enrollments have been gaining about 1,000 new people a week.
"It's only been in effect since January," she said. "We are really hoping to get the word out there to all Idahoans who didn't enroll in January or those who are newly eligible. Enroll in Medicaid, get this safety net. It's here for you."
According to the IDHW, individuals eligible for Medicaid are:
• Citizens and legal residents - must be Idaho citizens
• Those who meet income limits
• Between ages 19 and 64
• Not on Medicare (You may still qualify for regular Medicaid and government tax credits)
Info: www.reclaimidaho.org
