Senate Health & Welfare Committee hears H 345 implementation and Medicaid managed-care update

Sasha O'Connell, Deputy Director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee on Feb. 26, 2026, that the department is actively implementing provisions of H 345 (2025) and is working on program design, stakeholder engagement, and a transition timeline for Medicaid managed care.

O'Connell outlined the department's focus areas: ensuring IDHW regularly engages with the Medicaid Review Panel as required by H 345, aligning state code with federal guidance, reviewing Medicaid cost-sharing options, and evaluating delivery-system models — fee-for-service versus managed care. She listed stakeholder activities already underway, including regional listening sessions and a managed-care request for information, and emphasized design pillars such as care coordination and case management.

Committee members pressed on specifics of the implementation. Senator Wintrow asked how screening obligations for children were addressed after the repeal of § 56-253 Idaho Code (the provision that had referenced Early Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment services). O'Connell said that EPSDT is outlined in the federal Social Security Act and remains a federal requirement: "Idaho was still subject to that requirement," she said, adding that the department's recent work focused on removing duplicative state language where federal rules already provide clear guidance.

O'Connell acknowledged that while there was "not concern when 2025 H 345 passed," there have been more recent family questions about whether particular services remain protected; she told the committee that the screenings covered by EPSDT would continue to be offered. In closing, O'Connell urged the Committee and stakeholders to remain engaged with IDHW as the department refines program design and timelines.

The Committee convened at 3:10 p.m. and adjourned at 3:50 p.m.