An effort to kill Idaho’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion program is officially underway after a House committee introduced a bill to do so Monday morning.
If approved, the measure would eliminate Medicaid expansion beginning Jan. 1, 2028.
Rep. Jordan Redman (R-Coeur d’Alene), who sponsors the bill, said this money should instead support the elderly instead of those who could work more to pay for coverage.
“Employers in my district say that they can’t increase pay for them folks because it would take away their benefits. I believe that, oftentimes, this can actually hold people back from their full potential,” Redman said.
To qualify for Medicaid expansion, a single-person household must earn less than $22,032 annually.
As of last month, 79,418 Idahoans were enrolled under the program.
“There are entirely way too many people, able-bodied adults, who are not working and are not participating in any type of volunteer or additional educational opportunities for themselves,” said Rep. Lucas Cayler (R-Caldwell).
Cayler said sooner or later, Medicaid expansion will tank the state’s budget.
The program’s budget in the current fiscal year uses $91.7 million in state general fund dollars.
That’s less than 10% of Idaho’s state share across the four total Medicaid programs, which largely cover children, the elderly and the disabled.
Last year, both state and federal lawmakers passed legislation requiring expansion enrollees to work, study or volunteer to qualify.
Rep. Dori Healey (R-Boise) voted against introducing the bill. She said efforts like those need more time to bear out potential savings.
“I feel like we need to see where those cost savings make an impact in our state and that this is extremely hasty,” Healey said.
Her motion to kill the bill failed by one vote. The measure could go to a public hearing as early as this week.
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