{"id":11935,"date":"2012-10-11T13:22:25","date_gmt":"2012-10-11T19:22:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=11935"},"modified":"2012-10-12T12:42:59","modified_gmt":"2012-10-12T18:42:59","slug":"idaho-spends-nearly-200000-to-study-medicaid-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/10\/11\/idaho-spends-nearly-200000-to-study-medicaid-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Idaho Spends Nearly $200,000 To Study Medicaid Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

John Moore \/ Getty Images<\/p>

A physician's assistant checks out a patient at a community health center. More than 236,000 Idahoans are currently enrolled in Medicaid, a health care program for low income Americans.<\/p><\/div>\n

Idaho has spent at least $195,000 to study how expanding Medicaid could impact people and the state’s budget.<\/p>\n

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has contracted with two out-of-state consulting firms, Utah-based Leavitt Partners and Seattle-based Milliman<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Under the federal health reform law, which was recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court, states can decide<\/a> whether to expand their Medicaid programs to include people living at 138 percent of the poverty line.\u00a0 Estimates show, an expansion would add between 97,000 and 111,000 to the health care program in Idaho.\u00a0 More than 236,000<\/a> Idahoans are currently on Medicaid.

Related<\/h4>
Posts<\/h5>