The governor's panel on Medicaid expansion met for the first time this week. The group will submit its recommendation to the governor late this fall.
More than 236,000 Idahoans are currently enrolled in Medicaid. That’s the federal-state funded health care program for low-income adults and children. If the state chooses to expand eligibility in Idaho to 138 percent of poverty, 100,000 people could join the rolls.
Utah-based consulting firm Leavitt Partners presented that data to Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s work group on Medicaid expansion Monday. The state hired the firm to study how expanding the low-income health care program could affect Idahoans, and the state budget. Continue Reading →
Laura Summers of consulting group Leavitt Partners presents preliminary information to working group members.
The first meeting of Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s Medicaid expansion working group is underway. The group is charged with providing input to the governor as he weighs whether the state should expand its Medicaid program, as prescribed under President Obama’s health care law.
The biggest news out of today’s meeting so far: an additional 90,000 to 100,000 Idahoans will be eligible to receive Medicaid, if the state expands eligibility to 138 percent of the poverty line. That’s according to preliminary information from Leavitt Partners, the Utah-based consulting group the state has hired to evaluate the Medicaid expansion. Continue Reading →
It's not yet clear whether Idaho will elect to expand Medicaid eligibility and accept federal funding provided under the health care law.
A big question facing Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter after the Supreme Court ruled last month on the health care law is this: should Idaho expand its Medicaid program?
If states opt in and expand Medicaid eligibility to 138 percent of the poverty line, the federal government will pick up much of the tab, covering 100 percent of states’ expansion costs for the first two years, phased down to 90 percent by 2020.
Otter has appointed a panel of 15 lawmakers, industry and government experts to study Idaho’s options. That panel will meet for the first time Monday.
Penny Schweibert with the Department of Insurance outlines the state's options.
A governor-appointed panel of state lawmakers, insurance executives and other community stakeholders met for the first time today to begin the process of deciding how Idaho will deal with the federal health care law’s requirement that states have some sort of health insurance exchange.
The options: let the federal government take charge, authorize Idaho to create and manage it, or set up a federal-state partnership.
Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter has to make the call. If the decision is for an Idaho-run exchange, then the state has to present its ‘blueprint’ to the federal government by November 16.
That’s a deadline Department of Insurance project manager Penny Schweibert says can’t be met. “States have spent two years getting to this point. Other states have spent nine to 12 months, and they’re still scrambling to get the blueprint done,” says Schweibert. “So, is it possible for us to get this blueprint? It would almost have to be a miracle.” Continue Reading →
Idaho Department of Insurance Director Bill Deal will lead today's meeting.
Calling all healthcare policy wonks! The Supreme Court’s health care ruling leaves some important decisions about the law’s implementation up to the states, as StateImpacthas reported. Those questions are: Should Idaho create its own health insurance exchange, and should it opt into the Medicaid expansion that is a key facet of the Affordable Care Act?
And now the day has come. The Health Insurance Exchange Working Group meets today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the J.R. Williams building. StateImpact will listen in with a few big questions in mind: How will these working groups coalesce around an opinion or set of opinions? How will Gov. Otter take in that information and come to decisions? And, most of all, what’s at stake for Idahoans?
One point of clarification: the governor’s working groups are distinct from the Legislature’s Health Care Task Force, which met on Monday. The groups are working on separate but parallel tracks, since the Legislature and the governor ultimately may come to different views of the questions now facing the state.
Say you own a multi-million dollar direct sales company that sells wickless scented candles, bath products and chocolate fondue…what would you add next?
Well, Meridian, Idaho-based Scentsy is diving into the handbags and accessories market.
The company that launched in 2004 selling wickless scented candles has added a new brand to its growing business, and hired 120 additional corporate employees since March. The majority of those new employees are in Idaho.
Scentsy Inc.
Scentsy Inc. launched its third brand 'Grace Adele' Aug.1, 2012
Idaho jumped 18 spots in this year’s Top States for Business list compiled by CNBC. The Gem State went from 31st in 2011 to 13th in 2012. Now, Idaho is sandwiched between Iowa and Indiana.
CNBC ranks states according to ten categories. Things like; the cost of doing business, education, cost of living, and business friendliness.
While Idaho’s overall ranking from CNBC improved, two category-specific scores got worse. Continue Reading →
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