The State of Idaho is one that opted to not take federal money to expand Medicaid. The result is a large population of residents who make too much to be eligible for the program, and at the same time make too little to qualify for subsidies to get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Now the state is examining another way to help that population.
Low income people in Idaho face a real struggle. In states like Washington, thousands of low income people were able to sign up for Medicaid coverage after the state expanded Medicaid coverage.
But, in Idaho, a family of four that makes over 439 dollars a month actually makes too much to qualify for the program. And as well, if they make less than 24,600 dollars per year, they don’t make enough to receive subsidies to help them pay for coverage under Obamacare. It’s estimated 50 thousand Idahoans fall into this gap.
Now the legislature is looking at two possible waivers that will help cover more people in that coverage gap.
One would allow an individual or family with incomes under 100 percent of the federal poverty level to receive deductions and tax credits to allow them to afford medical coverage. The second would let individuals with specific expensive medically complex conditions, like cancer, to receive treatment covered by Medicaid for the duration of their illness.
Department of health and Welfare Spokeswoman Lori Wolf says the concept would be cheaper for Idaho than to actually undertake a Medicaid expansion:
“I will mention, under Medicaid expansion, the cost to the state of Idaho in just that first year, would have been 42 million dollars. Under this waiver program, the state general fund request is 29 million dollars,” says Wolf.
Ironically, when Idaho choose not to expand Medicaid, costs for coverage under the Affordable Care Act actually went up more than it did in Washington and Oregon, where Medicaid coverage was expanded. That’s in part because the uninsured continued to drive up costs by getting care the only way they could, by going to emergency rooms.
By allowing for those with special medical conditions to revive care under Medicaid, state officials believe costs for regular insurance will go down, as much as 20 percent. It’s hoped that could allow 35 thousand more people to afford insurance.
State lawmakers will have to approve the waivers first, and then it will be up to Federal officials to sign off on them.
