{"id":9657,"date":"2012-08-07T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2012-08-07T14:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/?p=9657"},"modified":"2012-08-07T10:39:55","modified_gmt":"2012-08-07T16:39:55","slug":"supporters-of-idaho-medicaid-expansion-speak-out-but-costs-remain-a-big-question","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/idaho\/2012\/08\/07\/supporters-of-idaho-medicaid-expansion-speak-out-but-costs-remain-a-big-question\/","title":{"rendered":"Supporters Of Idaho Medicaid Expansion Speak Out, But Costs Remain A Big Question"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Emilie Ritter Saunders \/ StateImpact<\/p>

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.<\/p><\/div>\n

More than 236,000 Idahoans are currently enrolled in Medicaid<\/a>.\u00a0 That’s the federal-state funded health care program for low-income adults and children.\u00a0 If the state chooses to expand eligibility in Idaho to 138 percent of poverty, 100,000 people could join the rolls.<\/p>\n

Utah-based consulting firm Leavitt Partners<\/a> presented that data to Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s work group on Medicaid expansion Monday.\u00a0 The state hired the firm to\u00a0<\/del> study how expanding the low-income health care program could affect Idahoans, and the state budget.<\/p>\n

The recent Supreme Court decision<\/a> on the federal health care law allows states to decide whether to expand Medicaid.\u00a0 Some states expanded their eligibility long before the health care law passed; others have rejected the expansion altogether.<\/p>\n

If Idaho goes the expansion route, the federal government for the first two years will pick up the tab for those who are newly covered<\/del>.\u00a0 After that, the feds will phase funding down to 90 percent, leaving Idaho to pay 10 percent.<\/p>\n

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