Dear Governor Herbert:

I am writing this letter to ask you to save my family’s health care.

Like many Utahns, my husband and I often struggle to afford health care. We are raising our five children in Pleasant Grove. My husband works hard, and I pick up work where I can while being there for our kids with special needs — but we just cannot afford the health care we need.

There are months we go without insurance. When we do have insurance, it costs us $600 a month just to have insurance, but our copays are so high we can’t go to the doctor when we get sick.

I voted for Proposition 3 because I know families like mine need help accessing health care, and I know that we get hundreds of millions of our tax dollars back from Washington if we fully expand Medicaid. I studied the proposal and thought hard about how I would vote. I knew what I was voting for.

When Prop 3 passed, I felt a weight lifted from my shoulders because I thought my family and I would finally be able to put aside our worries about being able to go to the doctor when we get sick.

I am very disappointed to now hear state legislators are trying to repeal the citizen initiative we passed.

As a voter, I feel like this disrespects the decision Utahns made when they cast their votes.

As a parent, I’m worried, because under this proposal my family would lose access to Medicaid and be back to struggling to afford insurance.

Going without access to affordable health care is the kind of thing that keeps a mom up late at night. Knowing that we could be one trip to the emergency room away from bankruptcy makes me scared for my family.

Growing up in Utah I learned that we take care of our neighbors who need help. My parents taught me that what voters think is supposed to matter in a democracy. I’m doing my best to pass along those same values to my kids. Gov. Herbert, I need you to show my children those things are still true today — that our vote matters and that my family matters. I need you to oppose this bill that would overturn Proposition 3.

Gov. Herbert, I voted for you, and I believe you when you say you want to respect the will of the people. The bill in the state Legislature does not do that, and it would hurt my family. I am asking you to honor my vote, protect my family’s health care, and fully implement Proposition 3.

Alecia Bales