Otter: No Executive Action, Special Session for Medicaid Gap

BOISE, Idaho (AP) —Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter says he will not take executive action to expand Medicaid in Idaho after the Legislature adjourned without passing legislation to deal with the problem.

Otter also told reporters on Monday that he would not call Idaho lawmakers back for a special legislative session to address the so-called Medicaid gap population. Instead, the Republican governor says he is looking forward to working with lawmakers as they study the issue over the next few months.

The working group is expected to finalize a solution for the 2017 Legislature. An estimated 78,000 Idahoans don't have health coverage because they either don't qualify for Medicaid, the health care program designed to cover the poor, or make too much for a subsidy.