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April 10, 2013

Gov. Otter Announces Health Insurance Exchange Board Members

Idaho is on its way to building and operating a state-based health insurance exchange. The Legislature signed off on the state-run online insurance marketplace last month. Now, Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has selected the 19-member board which will “set the rules and regulations for implementing” the exchange. Here’s the list from the governor’s office:

April 8, 2013

What We’re Reading: Why Thousands Of Ex-Felons Will Soon Get Health Care, States Cope With The Doctor Shortage

Implementation of the federal health care law, the Affordable Care Act, means thousands of former prisoners will be eligible for medical care. Stateline reports starting early next year, many of the 650,000 inmates released each year will have access to Medicaid. Here’s an excerpt: A sizeable portion of the nearly 5 million ex-offenders who are […]

April 5, 2013

What Idaho’s $2.78 Billion Budget Looks Like

Idaho lawmakers approved a $2.78 billion budget for fiscal year 2014 that begins in July. That’s an $81 million increase, 2.9 percent, over fiscal year 2013. As the chart shows, nearly half of the state’s annual budget goes to fund K-12 public schools. When you include funding for colleges, universities, and “other education“, that’s more […]

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter Reiterates Wish To Hold Off On Expanding Medicaid Eligibility

“There’s no definite decision on not expanding Medicaid, yet.” Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter offered that equivocal statement in a press conference marking the close of the 2013 legislative session. He’s determined, he said, to find ways to inject more personal accountability into Idaho’s Medicaid system. “We’ll get eight months and some change in order to […]

April 4, 2013

Idaho Legislature Approves $20.7 Million In Tax Cuts

The Idaho Legislature will go home today having approved nearly $20.7 million in tax cuts. That’s a fraction, less than one percent, of the state’s general fund budget. Far and away the largest share of that cut is the $20 million approved to offset the effect of partially repealing Idaho’s business personal property tax. The […]

Gov. Otter Signs Personal Property Tax Bill, Calls For Full Repeal

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter today signed a bill to partially repeal Idaho’s business personal property tax, calling it “a good and important start toward the goal of eliminating the personal property tax in Idaho.” In his letter to the Legislature the governor urges lawmakers to take the issue up again, and do away with the […]

April 2, 2013

In Two Charts, The Potential Costs And Savings Of Expanded Medicaid Access In Idaho

Lawmakers are still in Boise, where they’re grappling with the education budget past their wished-for departure date. Even with the extra time, it appears the push to expand Medicaid eligibility won’t resume this session. That discussion so far has centered on potential costs and savings with and without expanded access for Idaho’s poor. Counterintuitively, county […]

Mental Health, Preventive Care, And The Debate Over Medicaid Expansion In Idaho

When the 2013 legislative session wraps up, a big policy question will remain: Will the state make Medicaid available to a greater number of Idaho’s poor? The federal health care law encourages that move. It’s a debate that involves potential costs and savings, along with patient well-being. And it turns quickly to chronic conditions, like […]

April 1, 2013

Idaho Legislature To Archive Audio And Video Recordings

The Idaho Legislature will now archive its audio and video recordings of committee meetings and floor debate. Until now, those audio and video sessions were live-streamed by Idaho Public Television and deleted after five days. The new rule will require the director of legislative services or a designee to hang on to the recordings for […]

March 28, 2013

County Commissioner’s Response To Business Tax Resolution: Relief

The 2013 legislative session won’t wrap up tomorrow, as many hoped. But lawmakers have come to near-unanimous agreement on an issue we’ve tracked closely: the business personal property tax. A bill backed by the Idaho Association of Counties passed the Idaho Senate on Tuesday without opposition. I decided to follow up with Power County Commissioner Vicki […]

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