As the Idaho legislature considers bills that would kill Medicaid expansion in the state, a report shows cuts to the program could disproportionately impact Hispanics.
In 2020, Medicaid expansion increased how much people could make and still be eligible for the health coverage program, allowing those with incomes up to 138% of the poverty level to qualify. During the pandemic, disenrollment was frozen.
In that time, Hispanic enrollment rates in Idaho went from 35,000 to 43,000 people, according to a recent report from the Idaho Policy Institute and the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs. In 2023, the freeze on disenrolling people from the program was lifted.
This has caused a large proportion of Hispanic individuals from being unenrolled, even though they still qualify, said researcher Maria Onaindia who worked on the report,
“Presumably you would think that a lot of these disenrollments might be due to incomes that have changed,” she said. “But a large proportion of them are simply because of not responding to a state's request for information.”
People who still qualify have the option to re-enroll, but a survey conducted for the report shows this is especially complicated for some in the Hispanic community. Onaindia says individuals who do not speak English, are working full-time or do not have access to the internet may not be able to get the administrative assistance they need to re-apply.
Hispanics in the state are less likely to have access to medical coverage at twice the rate than others. About 10% of Idahoans don’t have coverage, against around 18% in the Hispanic community. A report released in 2023 by the ICHA and Idaho State University shows Medicaid expansion in the state benefited Hispanics who disproportionately face challenges accessing healthcare.
Similar findings were supported by the latest report from the Idaho Policy Institute.
“This program has been important for Hispanic individuals to receive their coverage. And for a lot of families, it is their only option,” Onaindia noted.
“Health outcomes are lower for Hispanic individuals when compared to non-Hispanic,” she added. “And just thinking about the need for coverage there, anything that is done to take away that coverage would presumably impact that community negatively.”
According to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, the average age of death in Idaho for non-Hispanics is 74 years old. For Hispanics, it’s 61 years old.
