After a lifetime of hard work and hardship, Idaho man speaks up for affordable healthcare
For decades, Ged Randall worked some of the toughest jobs Idaho had to offer. He helped restore forests after logging operations, fought wildfires, worked around heavy logging equipment, and later spent nearly three decades in a fire department for a multiple wood products facility. Along the way, he survived devastating injuries, including a broken neck at just 18 years old after being struck by a falling tree during his post logging restoration work.
“When I first woke up in the hospital I couldn’t move my arms and my legs – and at 18 years old that was scary,” Randall said. “But I lived through it, thank God.”
Today, he reflects on those experiences with gratitude, but also with concern for Americans who may not have the same safety nets he did.
“We’ve been fortunate locally here in Lewiston. We’ve been real fortunate,” Randall said of the healthcare coverage he and his wife have received through insurance and Medicare over the years.
Randall has undergone multiple major medical procedures, including knee and shoulder replacements. His wife has also faced significant health issues requiring surgery. While the couple avoided crushing medical debt, Randall knows many Americans are not as lucky.
“I still hear about some people having to decide whether they’re going to buy their medicine or pay their rent or buy food,” he said. “I’ve heard a lot of other people having to make those decisions and I really feel bad for them.”
Those stories are what motivate Randall to contact Idaho’s congressional delegation, including Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, urging them to support efforts to lower prescription drug costs.
“I hear these stories about people having to pay these outrageous prices for insulin,” Randall said. “So I’ve called their offices, and encouraged them to vote, so that they could lower the cost of pharmaceuticals.”
For Randall, the issue is not whether pharmaceutical companies should make money. It is whether the prices Americans pay are reasonable.
“Why are they charging these huge sums when they could lower their prices and still make a profit?” he said. “When I start adding one plus one equals three, then I call lawmakers up and say, ‘Hey, look, this is BS, you guys need to vote to lower these drug prices.’”
His concerns extend beyond prescription drugs. Randall believes rural Americans often face unique barriers to receiving quality healthcare, particularly in a state as geographically vast as Idaho.
When he broke his neck as a teenager, he was fortunate to be close enough to receive emergency treatment quickly. But many rural residents, he said, live beyond the ‘Golden Hour’ from emergency medical care and may have to spend a full day or two to get to their regular doctor or specialists. In emergencies, that distance can be life-threatening. His parents lived in this situation. Fortunately, he said they never had to use their volunteer emergency services.
Randall believes expanding telehealth services could dramatically improve access to care in remote communities. He envisions systems where nurse practitioners regularly travel to isolated towns while connecting patients virtually with doctors and specialists.
“I think we should be looking into that,” he said, noting that reliable internet access is critical for those systems to work effectively.
During his career with the Clearwater Economic Development Association, Randall advocated for expanding broadband access in rural Idaho communities. He said recent disasters, including Hurricane Helene’s devastating flooding in parts of North Carolina and Tennessee, reinforced how essential communication systems are for healthcare access.
Without functioning communication networks, patients can lose access to medications, oxygen supplies, emergency responders, and medical advice.
Despite the challenges he sees in America’s healthcare system, Randall remains deeply optimistic about the power of ordinary citizens to speak up and push for change.
His own life experiences, from surviving catastrophic injuries to serving on the Lewiston City Council, taught him that systems only improve when people stay engaged and demand accountability.
For Randall, healthcare reform is not an abstract political debate. It is about making sure families can afford prescriptions, ensuring rural residents can reach providers, and protecting Americans from financial devastation after medical emergencies.
And even after decades of hard work and hardship, he still believes those goals are achievable if people are willing to raise their voices.
Join Ged Randall and other advocates who have shared their stories with Voices for Affordable Health. We’d love to hear from you!
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