Emilie Ritter Saunders was StateImpact Idaho's multimedia reporter until the project merged with the Boise State Public Radio site in July 2013. She previously worked as the Capitol Bureau Chief for Montana Public Radio and was a Senior Fellow with NPR's Economic Training Project from 2009 until 2010. She graduated from the University of Montana School of Journalism in 2007.
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 →
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 →
Crescent Silver Mine in Idaho's panhandle. The region is known as the "silver belt".
Idaho’s chief economist predicts the state will remain in growth mode over the next few years, but the rate of that growth has been ratcheted down.
The Division of Financial Management’s quarterly economic forecast, authored by chief economist Derek Santos, lays out employment and sector growth through 2015.
The latest report estimates Idaho will continue to add jobs, although 2,500 fewer over the next three years than predicted in April’s forecast.
“Much of the drag on the labor market comes from a few slow growing sectors, like computer and electronics, miscellaneous Continue Reading →
More people stayed in Idaho hotels, motels and campgrounds last year. That’s according to tax collection data provided by the Idaho State Tax Commission and Idaho Department of Commerce.
The state raked in more than $7 million during the last fiscal year which ended June 30. That’s an increase of almost 7 percent over fiscal year 2011.
The state keeps 2 percent of the lodging taxes paid at most hotels and campgrounds in Idaho. That money is then used for tourism promotion.
If you watch much television, chances are, you’ve seen ads like this one luring people to visit Michigan…
The Pure Michigan ad campaign has been one of the most successful state tourism campaigns in the U.S. In fact, Idaho Division of Tourism director Karen Ballard says the Michigan campaign has become the poster child for the industry.
But in Idaho, where the Tourism Division’s annual budget is around $7 million, there isn’t that kind of cash to produce national television spots. Ballard says the average state tourism budget is more like $15 million. Continue Reading →
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Idaho reported job gains in construction, professional and business services, hotels and restaurant.
For the first time in almost three years, fewer than 60,000 Idahoans are out of work. That’s according to the latest jobless report by the Idaho Department of Labor. That figure doesn’t include Idahoans who’ve stopped looking for work or who are underemployed.
Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the month of June dropped one tenth of a percentage point from 7.8 to 7.7.
The Idaho state agency that monitors air and water quality has had to do more with less for a long time. Four years after the recession forced the state to slash funding for the Department of Environmental Quality, state support for the agency remains lower than it was back in 2003.
During the last legislative session, then-DEQ director Toni Hardesty told a key budget committee, “though our overall workforce is at its lowest level in over a decade, our workload definitely is not.” Continue Reading →
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