BOISE, Idaho (AP) - About 300 demonstrators gathered on the Statehouse steps encouraging Idaho lawmaker to approve paying for voter-approved Medicaid expansion without adding work or other requirements.
The crowd shouted “Do your job” on Monday as a series of speakers brought together by an advocacy group called Reclaim Idaho noted 61 percent of voters passed Medicaid expansion in November.
The federal government would cover 90 percent of the estimated $400 million cost of Medicaid expansion, and Idaho lawmakers have to figure out how to pay the state’s share. Some lawmakers have suggested adding work or requirements for recipients to be eligible.
The measure directs the state to expand Medicaid eligibility rules to include anyone earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level. That will provide access to preventative health care services for about 62,000 low-income Idaho residents.
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