New Medicaid work requirements bill introduced

March 19-- Mar. 19--BOISE -- A new bill to attach work requirements and other conditions to Medicaid expansion in Idaho has been introduced.

The bill from Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, resembles an earlier bill from Vander Woude that received overwhelmingly negative testimony in a public hearing earlier this month. The House Health and Welfare Committee voted along party lines Monday to hold a formal hearing for the bill.

Under the new bill, able-bodied adult Medicaid recipients would be required to work at least 20 hours a week, rather than the 30 hours a week that the previous bill required. The bill would also direct the state to apply for a federal waiver that would require people between 100 and 138 percent of the poverty line to get their insurance from the state exchange instead of from Medicaid; the previous version of the bill would have given that population the option to choose between going on Medicaid and staying on the state exchange.

Republicans on the committee, including Rep. Fred Wood of Burley and Rep. Laurie Lickley of Jerome, voted to introduce the bill. Democrats, including Rep. Muffy Davis of Ketchum, voted against, citing concerns about indigent health care costs to counties and other local entities.

"I do feel that this is still very much flying in the face of what the voters requested," said Rep. Ilana Rubel of Boise.

Vander Woude said there are an estimated 10,000 people currently between 100 and 138 percent of the poverty line who are not currently enrolled in the exchange.

The bill will receive a full hearing in the committee on Wednesday. Wood assured critics in the committee that all concerns about the bill would be heard in the upcoming hearing.

"We'll stay there till the last dog is hung," Wood said.

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