Dr. John M. Livingston, a former U.S. Navy surgeon and a retired general surgeon who practiced in Boise, will join the Idaho Freedom Foundation as a Special Adviser on Medical Policy, the group announced Tuesday.

Freedom Foundation Vice President Fred Birnbaum lauded Livingston’s willingness to serve and to develop market-based health-care policy.

“Dr. Livingston combines decades of medical experience with a real understanding of medical policy and economics,” Birnbaum said Tuesday. “We are more than thrilled he supports the Freedom Foundation’s mission to develop credible alternatives to more Obamacare in Idaho.”

Livingston, a Boise resident, performed general and trauma surgery for more than 35 years, including 12 years in the U.S. Navy and 25 years at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise.

The foundation’s addition comes as the Idaho Legislature opens its work to find a viable alternative to President Obama’s Medicaid expansion, which the Foundation continues to oppose. A health-care working group, led by Sen. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, and Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, will hold its first meeting Wednesday in Boise.

Livingston said he’s excited about the opportunity to find new, innovative solutions for Idahoans looking for a hand up in life.

“President Obama’s Medicaid expansion just doesn’t make sense for Idaho,” Livingston said. “Hagedorn and Loertscher have a real opportunity to lift Idaho above the status quo and lead the nation in finding conservative, thoughtful answers to very real problems facing residents here.”

The Idaho Freedom Foundation stands as the Gem State’s leading voice for conservative principles and government accountability. Founded in 2009, the Foundation operates a policy shop, a news website and the Idaho Freedom Index, the state’s only scorecard dedicated to limiting government’s growth. The Freedom Foundation opposes Obama’s Medicaid expansion and has successfully led the charge to stop it since 2013.