It was a major declaration that Idahoans care for their own when voters proposed and overwhelmingly approved extended Medicaid coverage for 88,000 of our friends, family, and neighbors who did not previously qualify.
For the entire state, but particularly for those who were previously without access to health care, the 2018 ballot proposal was and continues to be a huge accomplishment. Access to preventative screenings and routine medical checkups result in early detection and improved treatment choices for cancer and other chronic illnesses and life-threatening disorders. Early detection of these disorders saves lives.
With incomes above the state’s Medicaid qualifying threshold but slightly above the poverty line, those newly insured individuals previously fell into the coverage gap and were unable to purchase marketplace plans. That is about $21,000 a year for a single adult and slightly over $40,000 for a family of four. Practically speaking, Medicaid expansion meant that those in the gap would no longer have to forgo basic medical treatment in order to pay for necessities like food, rent, child care, and other necessities. Mothers no longer have to decide between a potentially life-saving mammogram and their children’s new shoes or a month’s worth of groceries.
Voters approved expansion at a rate of over 60% because of this.Medicaid expansion has only grown in popularity since it was put into place. According to a recent survey by Idaho Voices for Children, 73% of state citizens, including 69% of Republicans, think it should remain unchanged.
The Idaho Legislature’s 2025 Medicaid expansion plans: repeal or reform
As the 2025 Idaho legislative session draws near, that final point is crucial to remember. Next month, lawmakers should be ready to defend the will of the people who elected them to office when they arrive in Boise. Voters took matters into their own hands when Congress failed to take action on Medicaid expansion. It is now their duty to support the wishes of those same people and ensure that thousands of Idahoans continue to have access to life-saving medical treatment.
Out-of-state organizations planted model legislation last year, which was then filed by Idaho politicians, leading to what amounted to a repeal attempt of Medicaid expansion. In 2025, more of the same is anticipated. Last year, Idahoans turned out in force, and the bill was defeated in committee. It is hoped that lawmakers have listened to the people’s voice and will not again put health care at risk.
These interests from outside the state claim to be working to keep Medicaid in place. In actuality, it doesn’t require saving. Our friends, relatives, and neighbors are receiving the care they require at the appropriate time, and it is functioning exactly as the voters intended.This includes the roughly 80% of expansion enrollees who have reportable income—that is, they are employed but not earning enough to pay for private insurance—and the nearly 25% who have been diagnosed with a significant mental condition. We just cannot allow Medicaid expansion to be repealed because it would be disastrous.
Despite the fact that almost everyone in our country works extremely hard, many occupations do not offer access to health care. Just 43% of companies in Idaho offer their workers health insurance. Many Medicaid expansion beneficiaries are young professionals just starting their careers or are employed in the service sector or in agriculture. Medicaid enables individuals to get on their feet and ensures that financial status does not determine one’s capacity to identify cancer early or prevent an illness that is easily curable from becoming much more serious and maybe fatal.
In addition to providing Idaho people with routine health benefits, Medicaid expansion boosts employment and the financial stability of healthcare providers, particularly those in rural areas where millions of dollars in uncompensated care expenses are absorbed and significantly reduced by Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid expansion has to continue as voters intended since it is effective in Idaho.
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