Idaho House approves bill to seek Medicaid waivers, add work checks and cap expansion population

BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho House of Representatives voted on Feb. 19 to approve House Bill 138, a measure that would require the state to pursue a set of federal waivers intended to change how Medicaid expansion operates, add periodic eligibility checks, institute work/volunteer/training requirements for many adults in the expansion population and cap the number of people the state will cover under expansion if all requested waivers are approved.

Supporters said the bill is intended to rein in program costs and preserve Medicaid expansion by reshaping who is eligible and how eligibility is verified. Representative (District 3), the bill’s sponsor, told the House that projected costs have far exceeded original estimates — citing a Milliman projection of about $510 million versus the governor’s current budget estimate of $1.36 billion — and said HB 138 “restores integrity, financial responsibility, and self sufficiency back into our Medicaid expansion program.”

House Republicans who backed the bill pointed to an alleged 18.5%…