Health

An Essential Guide To Idaho's Medicaid Program

In the world of social programs, Medicaid is one of the hardest to understand. It’s something of a catch-all program for low-income people, covering broad and divergent needs. Included are healthy children and adults with eligible dependent children, people with disabilities or special health needs, and the elderly. Eligibility is income-based and it varies according the category of qualification for the program.During the state’s 2011 fiscal year, more than three quarters of the funding allocated to the Department of Health and Welfare’s budget went to Medicaid. The program received about $1.55 billion in federal and state funding, with 74 percent of those dollars coming from the federal government.Enrollment in Idaho’s Medicaid program has grown substantially in recent years. The average monthly Medicaid enrollment was fairly stable between 2006 and 2008. It grew by about 3.5 percent. But in the last three years, the program’s enrollment has grown nearly 21 percent. Ballooning from about 185,000 in 2008 to 228,897 in 2012.

Governor Picks New Head Of Idaho Health And Welfare

Boise State Public Radio News | By Samantha Wright

Published June 1, 2017 at 7:00 AM MDT

Idaho Governor Butch Otter announced Wednesday he has picked a new head of the state’s Health and Welfare Department.

Otter is appointing Russ Barron to head the agency. Barron is deputy director and a longtime administrator at Health and Welfare.

Current Director Richard Armstrong is stepping down after 11 years on the job. The Idaho Statesman reports Armstrong was appointed to the post by Governor Jim Risch in 2006 and reappointed by Otter when he took office in 2007.

Armstrong oversaw plenty of changes at the Department, including a re-vamp of the state’s food stamp program. He says the state missed an opportunity when the GOP-dominated Idaho Legislature refused to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act. He says the state still needs to take action to help those estimated 78,000 without health insurance.

Armstrong steps down at the end of June. His replacement, Russ Barron, has been deputy director for three years and has worked for several departments at Health and Welfare. He’ll oversee close to 2,900 employees with a budget of $2.9 billion a year.

“It is an honor to be appointed to serve Governor Otter and the State of Idaho as the next director of the Department of Health and Welfare, whose mission is to promote and protect the health and safety of Idahoans,” Barron said. “The department has made great strides in delivering meaningful services efficiently and effectively under the direction of Dick Armstrong, and I’m looking forward to working with the department’s employees, partners and stakeholders to continue that success.”

Find Samantha Wright on Twitter @samwrightradio

Governor Picks New Head Of Idaho Health And Welfare

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