Public Offers Input on New Plan to Address Medicaid Gap
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho's top health officials are collecting input from residents across the state on their latest plan to provide health care to poor residents who do not have medical coverage. The proposal calls for Idaho to apply for two federal waivers that would change how the state's working poor can qualify for health insurance subsidies or Medicaid. Doing so would provide medical coverage to an estimated 38,000 Idahoans and slash premiums by up to 20 percent. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Department of Insurance scheduled a public hearing Monday in Coeur d'Alene after hosting similar events in Pocatello and Boise. So far, the agencies have received mostly positive feedback. However, the proposal hinges on approval from Idaho's GOP-controlled Legislature — where members have repeatedly failed to sign off proposals addressing Idaho's so-called Medicaid gap population.