Hardworking South Dakotans need access to healthcare

Right now, Washington politicians send South Dakota’s Medicaid dollars to California, New York, and 36 other states to pay for their healthcare instead. That needs to change. It’s time to bring our tax dollars home for healthcare and jobs here — just like North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Idaho have all done recently.

Medicaid expansion would put hundreds of millions of dollars back into our local economy. For hardworking families, it means access to healthcare, less money spent paying off medical bills, and more money available to spend in our local small businesses.

In rural communities, it also means more healthcare jobs and the chance to protect emergency care for our families. Eleven rural hospitals in our state are now at risk of closure. Medicaid expansion will help keep these facilities open for when our families need them most — whether that’s a loved one having a heart attack or suffering a serious injury on the farm.

That’s why doctors, nurses, farmers, small businesses and so many South Dakota organizations are endorsing this campaign to put Medicaid expansion on the ballot. We have the support of one of the broadest coalitions to ever launch a ballot initiative in this state, and we’re just getting started.