I am writing as a Flathead Valley physician today to share my support for the upcoming ballot initiative I-185.
As a doctor, my reasons for supporting I-185 are clinical, because I see that we have an opportunity to improve the health of our patients and our community by supporting I-185.
Here are my reasons for fully supporting this initiative:
- Importance of continued Medicaid expansion for access to care and preventative services.
There are 18,000 patients in our service area and 100,000 across the state of Montana who receive Medicaid expansion. Remember, these are working Montanans – small business owners, ranchers, young adults – and 80 percent of Medicaid expansion recipients are employed. I state this to bypass a stereotype about this population, because in my work, I see that people get health care when they have health care coverage.
Patients have more positive outcomes in their healthcare because they have access to preventative services, and they live happier, more productive, enjoyable lives. This is why I went into medicine – to help people live better lives – and Medicaid expansion makes this possible for more of our patients.
- Prevention of childhood nicotine addiction.
One of the most heartbreaking things I see as a doctor is kids, teens, and young adults using tobacco. I know firsthand what this addiction looks like when it becomes the litany of health problems caused by tobacco, and I cannot stress enough my personal and professional hope that we can keep our children away from tobacco.
Increasing the tobacco tax and including vaping and e-cigarettes – which have been declared an epidemic by the FDA and cause the same health problems as regular cigarettes – means that tobacco is more expensive, which has been shown to deter youth and teens from trying tobacco.
I know that Big Tobacco is adamantly against I-185 for this exact reason. They know that fewer kids and teens would start smoking. Please join me in protecting a younger generation from tobacco by making it less accessible.
- Financial incentive for smoking cessation.
In addition to fully funding Medicaid expansion, I-185 includes smoking cessation programs. Adding another method for our community to kick addiction and build a healthier life away from tobacco is another great benefit of the tobacco tax.
Please join me in voting yes on I-185 this fall. We owe it to our patients, our kids, and our local community to support this initiative.
Doug Nelson, MD
Kalispell