Idaho Voters Could Expand Medicaid Under Obamacare
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What the Initiative Does
Idaho Proposition 2 would expand Medicaid eligibility to more individuals under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). It’d expand eligibility to those under 65 years old whose income is 133 percent of the federal poverty level or below and aren’t eligible for other state insurance coverage.
In Favor
Expanding Medicaid would help more low-income Idaho residents without insurance get covered and access the healthcare system.
Opposed
Idaho already has a program aimed at covering people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. Expanding Medcaid would be too costly.
In-Depth
Idaho currently has a program aimed at meeting the healthcare needs of low-income people who don’t qualify for other state or federal health and welfare programs ― the Catastrophic Health Care Fund (or CAT fund) which cost $33.9 million in 2016. It requires counties to cover the first $11,000 in medical bills a medically indigent person incurs, while the state covers all medical bills above $11,000.
Supporters of Medicaid expansion in Idaho argue that expanding Medicaid would be an improvement on existing county-state programs aimed at covering low-income people who don’t qualify for Medicaid. The Moscow-Pullman Daily News editorial board wrote in support of Proposition 2:
“The state legislature has failed to address a situation that has resulted in more than 60,000 Idahoans falling into the so-called “Medicaid gap.” These residents are ineligible for Medicaid and too poor to qualify for subsidies and credits under the Affordable Care Act. So, these people, our friends and neighbors, either go without care or are forced to rely on county indigent care programs, which, not surprisingly, are severely costly and troublesome for local governments. Prop 2 would extend Medicaid coverage to these residents.”
Opponents of Medicaid expansion argue there are better, more cost-efficient ways to provide healthcare coverage for low-income Idahoans than expanding Medicaid. Fred Birnbaum, the vice president of the Idaho Freedom Foundation which is a leading opponent of Proposition 2 wrote:
“Currently, without expansion, any single adult who works full time is eligible for highly-subsidized coverage on the exchange with Advanced Premium Tax Credits. Even most part-time workers are eligible, so long as you earn at least $12,140 per year. Expansion is primarily an entitlement for the adult able-bodied, nonworking poor… The initiative to expand Medicaid builds upon the failed ACA and is destined to be a cure worse than the disease. There are alternatives to expanding government-run health care that protect the doctor-patient relationship, don’t require everyone to be on the same mandated plan and won’t bankrupt taxpayers.”
The Idaho Dept. of Health and Welfare commissioned a report on the cost of Medicaid expansion, which it put at $4.796 billion between fiscal years 2020-2030.
Proposition 2 made it on the ballot after supporters submitted 75,134 verified signatures, exceeding the 56,192 required.
Under Obamacare, states were given the ability to expand their Medicaid program to cover individuals earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level with financial assistance from the federal government that decreased over time. From 2014-2016, the federal government covered 100% of the cost of expansion, which dropped to 95% in 2017 and is set to continue decreasing gradually to 90% in 2020.
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: iStock.com / LPETTET)
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