Charron: Idaho will spend $78M more if Medicaid expansion ends
If voters had not approved the expansion of Idaho Medicaid to low-income adults, Idahoans would have spent tens of millions of dollars more on health care for those patients.
If the state pulls back on its Medicaid coverage, Idahoans will spend nearly
Idaho Medicaid is a state-run health insurance program. For decades, it was offered only to adults with disabilities, low-income children and, in some cases, their parents. When those Idahoans needed medical care, the federal budget paid most of the bill — about 70% to 75% of it, depending on the year.
What about other low-income
When Idahoans approved the expansion by a vote of 60.6% in the 2018 election, it opened up Medicaid to those previously uninsured Idahoans. Because of provisions in the Affordable Care Act, the federal government promised to pay 90% of the medical bills for these newly insured patients.
The 2018 ballot measure opened the program to more people and changed how health care was paid for in
Now, about 145,000 Idahoans have coverage through the Medicaid expansion.
"We know that it alleviates the burden on the state and counties to support the indigent population, allows the state to remove the (catastrophic medical bill fund), and we are now able to claim federal match for behavioral health services that were previously provided through state general funds. It also supports a healthier workforce and supports reduced health care costs and increased productivity," said
Because there are more people insured by the program, and because of their medical needs and the cost of medical care, the Medicaid budget has grown significantly.
But, as Charron explained Monday to members of the
Hospitals in
The committees met Monday for an overview of the first three years of Idaho Medicaid expansion. The meeting was required by
Voters approved the expansion without sideboards, but state lawmakers ordered the
Health and welfare committee members peppered Charron with questions about the expansion costs, how well it was working to keep Idahoans healthy and whether it truly gave Idahoans more access to care. In her answers to several questions, Charron said she would follow up with more information — as the committees will continue to debate the expansion during this legislative session.
The largest bucket of costs for Idaho Medicaid, and for the expansion group alone, has been pharmacy. That includes diabetes care, psoriasis and psychiatric medications, seizure drugs and cancer treatments. As Health and Welfare Director
April 1 change could remove estimated 375,000 from Medicaid in North Carolina
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