Letter to the Editor: Tobacco tax initiative
Did you know that Medicaid Expansion in Montana is due to expire a year from now? Have you heard about the Healthy Montana Initiative aimed at raising funds to keep our Medicaid program and other essential health care services intact?
Over the next couple of weeks, Southwest Montana residents may see local volunteers carrying a clipboard and inviting registered voters to sign a petition to put I-185 on the November ballot. I-185 proposes to increase tobacco taxes in order to help secure funding for Medicaid and specialized health services for veterans, long-term care for seniors and people with disabilities, smoking prevention programs for kids, and smoking cessation programs for people who want to quit.
Your signature on an I-185 petition will be one of the more than 25,000 signatures needed to qualify I-185 to appear on the November ballot, so that registered voters across the state can say Yes or No to the proposal. If you are not yet registered to vote, I-185 volunteers will have a voter registration form that you can fill out on the spot.
The I-185 signature-gathering campaign is an opportunity for you to have a say in making health care affordable and preventing nearly 100,000 of our Montana neighbors, friends, and family members from losing coverage. Let’s do this!
— Doris Fischer, Sheridan