The chairman of the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee says his $10 million proposal to provide limited primary care services to the poorest residents doesn’t have enough votes to pass a legislative hearing.
Republican Representative Fred Wood, of Burley, says his bill will likely not move forward this session. Instead, Wood on Monday told members on the Joint Millennium Fund panel – which doles out the state’s share of a multi-billion-dollar class-action tobacco settlement – that the fund should no longer solicit grant applications next year. Doing so would provide possible funding for Idahoans in the so-called Medicaid gap – those who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to qualify for health insurance premium subsidies.
There have been no other proposals introduced this legislative session to address Idaho’s gap population. (AP)
