Two esteemed doctors will debate Medicaid expansion during an Oct. 18 forum co-hosted by the Idaho Freedom Foundation and the University of Idaho.
Dr. John M. Livingston, a retired U.S. Navy trauma surgeon, will offer alternatives to expansion, and Dr. Kenneth Krell, director of critical care at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, will advocate for expansion.
Freedom Foundation Vice President Fred Birnbaum said he hopes the event will add substance to public dialogue regarding the health-care issue.
“The public deserves to know the full impact of Medicaid expansion on public policy, budgets and people,” Birnbaum said. “We hope this event will leave Idahoans better informed heading into the 2017 legislative session.”
Health care will likely prove a top-tier issue during the session, which opens at the Capitol in Boise in January. A 10-member legislative working group has spent the summer considering expansion and alternative care options for Idahoans who may lack health insurance.
The Oct. 18 forum will give each doctor a short time to explain his position in detail. Then, Krell and Livingston will answer questions, which were agreed upon before the debate. The doctors will also answer questions submitted by audience members in Boise.
University of Idaho Associate Professor of Law Shaakirrah Sanders will moderate.
The Idaho Freedom Foundation and the University of Idaho invite lawmakers, state agency officials, media and members of the public. The event is 7 p.m. at the University of Idaho Idaho Law and Justice Learning Center on 514 W. Jefferson Street in Boise.
