Politics & Government

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.

Medicaid Expansion Supporters Work To Sway Idaho Lawmakers

Boise State Public Radio News | By Associated Press

Published February 5, 2015 at 4:34 PM MST

Medicaid expansion supporters began their uphill journey Thursday in attempting to win over Idaho's Republican-controlled Statehouse where most lawmakers consider the idea politically toxic.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dick Armstrong tells the House and Senate Health and Welfare Committees that Idaho could save more than $173 million over the next 10 years by loosening its Medicaid eligibility.

Armstrong outlined a plan backed by a governor's work group that would allow individuals below 100 percent of the poverty line to qualify for Medicaid coverage. It includes an opt-out clause in case the federal government alters its funding in the future.

Republican lawmakers have been hesitant to discuss Medicaid expansion, an option provided under the Affordable Care Act, but recognize the state's indigent care system is broken.

Medicaid Expansion Supporters Work To Sway Idaho Lawmakers

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