Idaho submits Medicaid expansion plan to feds

“Prop 2 didn’t call for anything beyond what they’re calling a simple Medicaid expansion,” she said.

The state is accepting public comment on the proposed changes until March 22.

Hettinger said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will review the state’s documents and then ask questions. She said it could take a couple of months for the state to hear back from CMS.

Democratic lawmakers and Medicaid expansion proponents have been calling on the state to implement Medicaid expansion without any modifications. However, many Republican lawmakers opposed Medicaid expansion in the first place, and have been talking about adding restrictions such as work requirements, co-pays and lifetime benefit limits. These changes would require a waiver from the federal government. Some of these restrictions have been implemented by other Republican states that have expanded Medicaid.

So far one bill to put limits on Medicaid expansion has been introduced. Sponsored by Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, it would create a voluntary job training program for Medicaid expansion enrollees, end expansion if the federally funded share drops below the current 90 percent and order DHW to apply for a federal waiver to cover people making between 100 and 138 percent of the poverty level through the Your Health Idaho state exchange rather than Medicaid.

Should any of these bills pass, Hettinger said the department would amend its proposed plan to comply with the Legislature’s will.

“Depending on what the change is, we can always redraw and submit, or simply withdraw and go back to the drawing board and start over if Proposition 2 is amended in such a way that our current request is no longer valid with the federal government,” Hettiner said. “States do that routinely, it’s a very normal practice.”