Dozens gather in Idaho Falls for medicaid rally

Dozens of people gathered in downtown Idaho Falls Monday morning with one message: don’t take away Medicaid from Idahoans. The group “Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities” hosted the march and rally in an effort to get attention from Representative Mike Simpson and Senator Mike Crapo.

In a press release, Debra Parsons, Chair of the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities said, “It is about surviving. Without Medicaid, some folks will pass away…There is not a lot of gray area here. It is pretty black and white.”

Congressman Simpson voted in favor of the change in health care along with more than 200 other representatives. The bill now awaits approval from the Senate. According to a press release from the Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that almost $900 billion would be eliminated from Medicaid nationwide over a 10 year period. The Administration’s budget released this week called for even deeper cuts to programs and services for people with disabilities.

Families from all across eastern Idaho gathered at the rally, many of them hoping that Idaho’s senators will vote against the AHCA.

“It’s our lifeline,” said Tina Betzer who has 21 kids and adopted 14 from the foster care system. “Without Medicaid, these kids wouldn’t have the services they need, the equipment they need, the medical procedures they need, the formulas, everything.”