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Exploring the policies and politics that help or stand in the way of job creation.

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May 20, 2013

How Rejecting Medicaid Expansion Could Hurt Health Outcomes In Idaho

Idaho is one of 24 states on track to reject expanded Medicaid coverage for more low-income Idahoans. A recent article by the Los Angeles Times finds states without plans to expand Medicaid have higher rates of colon cancer and breast cancer deaths, and higher rates of gum disease. The article says the health gap will […]

May 15, 2013

Idaho Lawmakers Could Have More Money To Spend Than Expected

Thanks to higher-than-expected tax collections last month, Idaho lawmakers could have more money in the bank to allocate to things like education, road repair, and health care services. That’s the hypothesis from the Idaho Center for Fiscal Policy director Mike Ferguson who analyzed the monthly revenue report and state budget. Ferguson says lawmakers could have […]

May 13, 2013

Bottom Rung: The Politics Of Increasing Idaho’s Minimum Wage

As in many states, Idaho’s minimum wage hasn’t changed since 2009, when the hourly minimum was boosted by the federal government. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found 31,000 hourly Idaho workers earned the minimum wage, $7.25, or less in 2012. That’s a 63 percent increase from 2011. The data doesn’t tell us who these […]

May 8, 2013

Bottom Rung: Gov. Otter Touts Idaho’s Low Wages To Attract Gun Companies

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter is using Idaho’s low wages as a selling point. In a letter sent to out-of-state gun manufacturers last month to encourage them to relocate to Idaho, Otter touts the comparatively low cost of labor here. This week we’re reporting on wages in Idaho. The governor portrays as an asset the wage […]

May 7, 2013

Idaho Leaders Renew Their Pitch To Gun Makers

Idaho leaders are renewing their push to draw gun and ammunition makers to the Gem State. Yesterday, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter declared May “2nd Amendment Protection Month.” And as new gun control laws go into effect in a handful of states, the Idaho Commerce Department says it’s “well-poised” to lure gun and ammunition companies to […]

May 1, 2013

Rankings Of Idaho’s Business Climate? Take Them With A Grain Of Salt

Why does Idaho come in ninth in one index evaluating state business taxes and climates, but 31st in another? According to a report published today by Good Jobs First, a nonprofit that focuses on accountability in economic development and business subsidies, there’s a simple answer: the enterprise of ranking states’ business climates is fundamentally flawed. […]

April 26, 2013

Regulators Zero In On Short-Term, High-Interest Loans

More than a dozen states have put caps on payday loan interest rates, limiting and in some cases shutting down the industry in many states. The pitch to cap rates in Idaho hasn’t been successful. Still, big banks have started offering short-term, high-interest loans to make up for the loss in the payday lending industry. […]

April 25, 2013

Will Idaho’s Health Insurance Exchange Bring More Competition?

The Obama administration has taken a few hits this month over the federal health care law. The administration’s decision to put off creating an insurance marketplace aimed at small businesses brought dismay. Then, Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) predicted a “train wreck coming” as key aspects of Obamacare are implemented. His concern? People simply don’t understand […]

April 24, 2013

Panel Selects Idaho’s Health Insurance Exchange Executive Director

Idaho is on the fast-track to create its own online health insurance exchange. This week, the newly-minted exchange board met for the first time and voted unanimously to hire a Portland consultant to head the project. The Spokesman-Review reports the exchange board has voted to hire Amy Dowd as executive director. She has accepted the […]

April 16, 2013

Did You Pay Idaho Use Tax? Probably Not…

Did you remember to include the use tax on your Idaho income tax form? Judging by the numbers, probably not. Idaho is one of 45 states that collects a use tax. But as NPR’s Planet Money reports, the vast majority of taxpayers don’t pay it. There is one mistake, in particular, that lots of people […]

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