Idaho officials have submitted a Medicaid expansion waiver requiring patients get a referral from a primary physician before they can get family planning services such as birth control, abortions, or pregnancy care.
Voters authorized Medicaid expansion last fall with an initiative that passed with 61 percent of the vote after years of inaction by the Idaho Legislature. But lawmakers earlier this year added restrictions requiring five waivers, including a work requirement waiver the state submitted late last month.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare on Monday tendered the family planning waiver to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Waivers are required when a state wants to deviate from Medicaid rules.
Idaho Medicaid expansion enrollment begins November 1st, and coverage starts in January. (AP)
