Latest news with #IdahoCapitalSun
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Federal judge extends block on Idaho gender-affirming care ban in prisons
Protestors on April 2, 2024, dropped 48,000 handmade hearts — meant to represent LGBTQ Idahoans, in protest of anti-LGBTQ legislation — down the rotunda of the Idaho State Capitol Building. (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun) A federal judge extended a temporary legal block, preventing Idaho from enforcing a new law that would block people in prisons from accessing state-funded gender-affirming health care. Judge David Nye last week extended a preliminary injunction blocking Idaho from enforcing the 2024 state law for all people in Idaho prisons diagnosed with gender dysphoria and receiving hormone therapy. The Idaho Legislature in 2024 passed the law through House Bill 668. Nye has blocked the law from being enforced against people in Idaho prisons in response to a lawsuit brought by ACLU of Idaho. Around 60 to 70 patients in Idaho Department of Correction custody have been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, according to documents released in the lawsuit last year. Idaho's law 'clearly violates Idahoans' Eighth Amendment right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment by denying access to standard, life-saving health care,' ACLU of Idaho Legal Director Paul Southwick told the Idaho Capital Sun in a statement. 'Everyone deserves bodily autonomy and access to necessary medical care, regardless of their gender or incarceration status.' The judicial blocks only last 90 days under limits by federal law. Boise State Public Radio first reported on the extended legal block. The Idaho Attorney General's Office could not be immediately reached for comment. Separately, a federal judge recently blocked federal prisons from enforcing an executive order by President Donald Trump that would've blocked gender-affirming care for people incarcerated in federal prison who have gender dysphoria, Bloomberg Law reported. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Robison et al. v. Labrador prelminary injunction ruling 6-2-25
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Boise State Public Radio, Idaho Capital Sun partner for June 17 wolf reintroduction panel discussion
Thirty years ago, there were virtually no wolves in the Western U.S., the result of a decades-long eradication campaign. Then in 1995, the federal government brought them back, in their most controversial wildlife program ever. Reporters Heath Druzin, producer of the podcast Extremely American, and Clark Corbin of the Idaho Capital Sun took a 1,000-mile journey through wolf country to produce the podcast and written series Howl, which launches Wednesday. They talk to the people who endured death threats, gun shots and frostbite to help spark one of nature's greatest comebacks. In conjunction with the release of Howl, join Boise State Public Radio and the Idaho Capital Sun on Tuesday, June 17 for a discussion around the history, reintroduction and politics of wolves. Heath and Clark will be joined by Marcie Carter, Suzanne Asha Stone and Carter Niemeyer who were key figures in bringing wolves back to the American West. When: Tuesday, June 17 from 6-8 p.m. Where: Special Event Center, in the SUB at Boise State University 1700 W University Dr. Boise, ID 83725 This event is free, with a suggested donation of $10. Register here. *parking available directly across from the SUB in the Lincoln Garage for $5 SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Carter Niemeyer has been a state trapper for the Montana Department of Livestock, and a district supervisor for USDA Wildlife Services. As wolf management specialist for USDA, he was responsible for livestock depredation investigation, as well as wolf capture and removal. Niemeyer was the trapper and tracker who led the mission to capture the Canadian wolves that would repopulate the Northern Rockies in the 1990s. He wrote his first memoir, Wolfer, in 2010. His second memoir, Wolf Land was published in 2016. In 2025 he released a third memoir, The Other Ten Wolves: A Yellowstone Backstory. Suzanne Asha Stone has dedicated her life to wolf conservation and coexistence. Beginning her journey in 1988 as a college intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) Tribe, she contributed to early wolf activity monitoring in Idaho. A pivotal USA/Canada team member for the 1995 Yellowstone and central Idaho wolf reintroduction, she played a key role in transporting and releasing wolves and securing critical funding for the 1996 operations. In 1999, Suzanne became the western wolf restoration lead for Defenders of Wildlife, overseeing compensation programs and creating nonlethal coexistence strategies to address wolf and livestock conflicts. Marcie D. Carter was born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho, she is an enrolled member of the Nez Perce Tribe. Marcie has a BS in Biology from Lewis Clark State College and an MS in Wildlife Resources from the UI. She is currently working on a PhD in Natural Resources at the UI-CNR. Marcie works full time with the Nez Perce Tribe-Department of Fisheries Resource Management-Watershed Division as the Watershed Coordinator. Heath Druzin is a reporter and podcaster who covers extremism, politics and the environment. His series Extremely American looks at the intersection between extremist groups and mainstream politics. He has reported for outlets such as NPR, BBC and the Daily Beast. Clark Corbin reports on politics, state government, public lands and climate change for the Idaho Capital Sun, part of the States Newsroom network. Corbin has followed stories deep into the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park, abandoned mines of Central Idaho and the halls of the Idaho State Capitol. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Oregon Capital Chronicle adds Spanish-language articles with ‘Noticias en Español' feature
Cherry blossoms frame the Oregon capitol. (Julia Shumway/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Para leer esta historia en español, haga clic aquí. The Capital Chronicle is launching a new feature this week: Noticias en Español, or Spanish translations of selected articles. It's all thanks to reporter Mia Maldonado, a fluent Spanish speaker who for the past three years has translated stories she and colleagues wrote for the Idaho Capital Sun as part of its Sol-Capital Idaho section. Maldonado holds a bachelor's degree in Spanish and international political economy and was recognized for her Spanish-language translations by the Idaho Press Club last year. Spanish is the most widely spoken language in Oregon after English, with more than 360,000 of Oregon's more than 4 million residents reporting they spoke Spanish at home on the most recent American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. More than 150,000 Spanish-speaking households in Oregon reported speaking English less than very well. And with immigration stories at the forefront of local and national news cycles, translating articles about state government into Spanish is one way to reach those neighbors where they are, because all Oregonians deserve to know what their government is doing with their tax dollars and how decisions made in the state Capitol affect their lives. These translated articles fit with work already being done by the Legislature and state agencies, which in recent years have pushed to make government more accessible to Oregonians regardless of the language they speak. Legislative committees now feature sign language interpretation and translators who help people who testify in languages other than English. Our state-issued voters' pamphlet is also translated into 18 different languages. We don't have the ability to translate all news articles. Instead, Maldonado is picking ones that are especially relevant to Spanish-speaking communities or of great importance statewide. Her first two translated articles are about child care providers asking the Oregon Legislature to continue subsidizing child care costs and about non-medical vaccine exemptions reaching record levels among kindergarten students. Noticias en Español can be found in the bottom left corner of our homepage, and links to read stories in Spanish or English will be available at the top of articles. We'll continue adding more Spanish-language coverage as Maldonado and other Capital Chronicle reporters report relevant pieces. If you have ideas for ways to make our reporting more relevant to Oregonians, please don't hesitate to reach out by emailing info@ SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Idaho Medicaid to be privately managed in 2029, health officials officials expect
The state flags hangs from the rotunda of the Idaho State Capitol Building in Boise on Jan. 7, 2025. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) Idaho health officials say it'll take years to switch all Idaho Medicaid benefits to being managed by private companies. Through a sweeping bill meant to cut Medicaid costs, the Idaho Legislature this year directed the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to change a range of Medicaid policies — including to pursue switching Medicaid benefits to being run by private companies. That model, called managed care, is used widely across the country. Right now, Idaho Medicaid already uses managed care — somewhat. But it's more of a patchwork approach, where some services are managed by the state health department, some by managed care organizations, and some by doctors' offices. Shifting Idaho Medicaid to managed care will take time to do well, Idaho Medicaid Deputy Director Juliet Charron told a panel of state lawmakers late last month. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare expects the new comprehensive Idaho Medicaid managed care contract to start in 2029, following years of prep work, she told the Idaho Legislature's Medicaid Review Panel on May 22. 'We have been evaluating all of the different scenarios and timelines under which we could implement this — looking at it as early as 2027 or 2028 — and have determined' that going much earlier is risky, Charron said. 'Because you're going to start to have pieces overlapping throughout this. And that will be particularly challenging for our provider communities.' Medicaid is a largely federally funded health care assistance program that covers about 260,000 Idahoans, including low-income earners, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and some older people. Roughly 92,000 Idahoans are enrolled in Medicaid expansion, a voter-approved policy that raised the income eligibility cap. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Idaho governor signs bill to privatize management, add work requirements to Medicaid program The new Idaho Medicaid cost cutting bill also called for Idaho to seek federal approval for Medicaid work requirements for able-bodied adults. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare plans to apply for that by July 2026. The federal spending and tax cut bill being considered by Congress might ease the process for Idaho to seek Medicaid work requirements. Instead of applying for a Medicaid waiver that could temporarily allow for work requirements, Idaho could seek a longer-lasting state plan amendment for Medicaid work requirements — if the federal bill becomes law, Charron said. (The bill would require nationwide Medicaid work requirements years later. After passing the U.S. House, it heads to the Senate, where changes are expected.) Other states' experiences and a federal watchdog report suggest costs for Medicaid work requirements are high, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. Since almost half of Idahoans on Medicaid are already working, some advocates say work requirements are effectively just expensive administrative barriers to access the program. Overall, only 6% of Idaho Medicaid enrollees are in comprehensive managed care — the roughly 27,000 Idahoans dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, Idaho Idaho Medicaid Deputy Administrator Sasha O'Connell told the legislative panel. CONTACT US Idaho's existing Medicaid managed care contracts mostly carve out private management for certain benefits, like mental health, medical transportation and dental. That split makes it complicated for the state to oversee, O'Connell said. 'What this has led to is we have particularly high turnover, I would say, in state agencies. And I think that that happens in Medicaid as well,' she said. The various contracts have put Idaho Medicaid's limited staff in a cycle of 'amending these contracts constantly,' she said, instead of putting the contracts up for a new competitive bid, a process called procurement. 'Because procurement is such a huge lift,' O'Connell said. Idaho is also on track to end doctors' offices managing Medicaid benefits next year, Charron told lawmakers. The new Idaho Medicaid cost cutting bill called for the end of that model, called value-based care, which is unique to Idaho and has existed for a few years. The new Idaho Medicaid managed care contract is likely to become the biggest contract given out by the state of Idaho. Idaho's contract for the company Magellan to run mental health Medicaid benefits is already the state's largest contract, initially pegged at $1.4 billion over four years. Like under Idaho Medicaid's first managed care mental health organization, Idaho Medicaid providers have reported payment delays from Magellan, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. Sen. Kevin Cook, R-Idaho Falls, raised that issue to Idaho health officials. 'You're saying, I'm getting reports back from the (managed care organization), and they're saying, 'Everything is great. All of our providers are happy. They're loving it,'' Cook said. ''That's like asking the fox, … 'How's the hen house?'' Idaho's existing managed care contracts will be phased out for the broader contract to come. Idaho Medicaid mental health contractor hires three state government employees 'Idaho is a very large state. But our health care infrastructure is somewhat limited. And people access health care all over the state. Frequently, we are sending Medicaid participants to different parts of the state, based on the service that they need,' Charron said. The new contract will task three different managed care organizations to run Idaho Medicaid benefits, for a few reasons, she explained, like: Federal requirements for Medicaid enrollees to have choice under managed care; Creating competition between companies to drive efficiencies; and Redundancy, in case a plan terminates. Before Idaho launches the new managed care contract, Idaho has a lot of preparation to do, state health officials say. Like engaging stakeholders, seeking out more information and contracting out for actuarial services, a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), a new enrollment broker for Medicaid enrollees to pick managed care plans, and Idaho Medicaid's information system. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Idaho LWV sought state's help (and didn't get it) to raise awareness of Parental Choice Tax Credit
Members of the Idaho House of Representatives hold a floor session on March 10, 2025, at the Idaho Capitol Building in Boise. (Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun) The co-president of the League of Women of Voters of Idaho said state agencies including Gov. Brad Little's office and the Idaho State Tax Commission have not accepted the league's invitation to work together on a public awareness campaign highlighting a new state education tax credit Little signed into law this year. Founded in 1920, the League of Women Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that seeks to increase voter participation and access, and inform the public about major policy issues. Co-President Jean Henscheid said members of the league tried working for weeks with the Idaho State Tax Commission and Little's office to create a public awareness campaign around the new Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit. The law has been effective for nearly six months. Henscheid said members of the league felt it was important to try to facilitate a discussion or public forum on how families can participate in the tax credit and how accountability will work. 'Over the course of the 80 years we have been active in Idaho we have provided dozens, if not hundreds, of opportunities for public education events including candidate forums, roundtable discussions, community events asking people what they think of particular polices and providing them with the kind of information they need to be informed voters,' Henscheid said. 'Even in its embryonic state, there is enough interest in this $50 million initiative that we felt it would be a service to the public to offer and to facilitate it, which is what the league has done for 80 years,' Henscheid said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Meanwhile, a spokeswoman for the Idaho State Tax Commission said the state does not yet have answers to many of the questions the League of Women Voters of Idaho gathered for a public awareness campaign. 'We're still working out the details of the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit program,' Idaho State Tax Commission public information officer Renee Eymann said Wednesday. 'This is a complex piece of legislation, and we want to have the correct information available.' The law creating the tax credit has already taken effect. House Bill 93 was written so that it took effect retroactively on Jan. 1, 2025. The new credit in House Bill 93 provides up to a $5,000 refundable tax credit for qualifying education expenses, including tuition at a private, religious school. Under the law, parents, guardians or foster parents can receive the credit for qualified expenses such as private school tuition and fees. Eymann said officials with the Idaho State Tax Commission are still: Reviewing the definitions as they relate to taxes Looking at the reporting requirements so the commission can roll them into the application process Determining the commission's administrative duties and how they'll align with the law's requirements Henscheid said the league was open to all sorts of ideas for a public forum or public awareness campaign – including a town hall event, a webinar, a literature campaign or a Q&A of some format. 'If they thought meeting on aisle 12 at Walmart and talking to people about it would help, we would have done it, Henscheid said. During his Jan. 6 State of the State address Little said: 'I recognize the growing desire to expand school choice, especially for students with unique physical or developmental conditions.' Little then recommended spending $50 million 'to further expand education options for Idaho families,' and he signed House Bill 93 into law on Feb. 27. CONTACT US For this article, Little's office referred questions about the Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit and the League of Women Voters of Idaho's outreach efforts to the Idaho State Tax Commission. Parents will be able to apply for the new Idaho Parental Choice Tax Credit on Jan. 15, 2026, Eymann said. Once the Idaho State Tax Commission has the details and requirements of the new law sorted out, officials will seek to share those details with the public, the commission said. 'As we finalize more information, we'll be sharing it with all groups that are willing to help us spread the word,' Eymann said. 'This will include issuing news releases, compiling frequently asked questions, providing steps on how to fill out the application for the credit, and explaining what 300% below poverty level means.' Financial Information How do tax credits work in general? Are there examples similar to the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program? Will the same system used for determining qualified expenses through the Empowering Parents grants be used for the Parental Choice Tax Credit Program? Who will be responsible for determining the eligibility of individual family expenses (e.g. qualified instructional materials or travel)? Will the Empowering Parents grants program process be combined with this process? Will levels of compliance and noncompliance be reported publicly (see also accountability Question #23 below) Can families who do not file taxes apply? Could you clarify the following: Parents seeking an advanced payment may also receive a tax credit in the same year. Is that correct? Does that mean one student could receive as much as $10,000 or $15,000 during the first year of eligibility? Is there a limit to the number of children per household who may be eligible for the tax credit? Will a student who registers for an enrichment program, after school activity, or music lesson through a public school, public charter school, public virtual charter school, public magnet school, or part-time public kindergarten while they are using the tax credit forfeit the entire credit for that term? How will this impact future applications? Who will be tasked with tracking ineligible enrollment and recovering the tax credit? Will a nonpublic school that disenrolls a student during an academic term in which a tax credit is being used retain the tax credit funds? If not, will the remaining funds be returned to the state or to parents? Who will be tasked with tracking this? Will a closing nonpublic school receiving tax credit funds retain those funds or return the remainder to the parents? Do closing nonpublic schools have any obligations to enrolled students using the tax credit funds? Application Process What information will be required on the application form? How was the 60-day application window determined? Is this like other programs? Will parents whose modified adjusted gross income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level have an early window during the 60 days to apply? If not, how will the preference process work? The law says parents who are reapplying will be given preference over parents who qualify under the federal poverty level criteria. This seems to shift the program's priorities from the first year. Is this correct? Will parents have someone to help them through the application process? Student Learning The law states that tax credits may be used to cover academic instruction in English language arts, mathematics, science, and social science. Who will be tasked with verifying (and reverifying) that these subjects are taught? Will it be a self-report by the school? Who will be tasked with defining a portfolio of evidence or learning record that indicates the student's growth? Will this be up to each school? Will portfolios and learning records be housed at the Tax Commission? If so, will they be secured? Does the student retain ownership of the intellectual property in these documents? Who will conduct the audit of these records to establish that the instruction meets the requirements listed in Question 14 above? What does 'sufficient' evidence for an audit mean? Accountability Could you tell us more about what is meant by an 'accredited' school? How will parents reapplying for the program certify that they have completed the mandatory satisfaction and engagement survey? What evidence will be required? Will someone be tasked with ensuring that students with disabilities are receiving services under 20 U.S.C. 1412 of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act? Will parents of students with disabilities have an advocate who will help students get the help they need? What remedy will be applied if the Tax Commission determines that services mandated by federal law are not provided by the nonpublic school to students with disabilities? The law states that its provisions shall not be construed to permit any government agency to exercise control or supervision over any nonpublic school student and nonpublic schools shall not be required to alter their creeds, practices, admissions policies, or curriculum in order to accept students using parental choice tax credits. Are remedies through the state available to parents if schools fail to comply with the disabilities education act or are identified through the satisfaction and engagement survey as failing in their duty to students? Do the Legislature, Governor's Office, or Tax Commission constitute government entities not permitted to control or supervise nonpublic school students or impact creeds, practices, admissions policies, or curriculum of nonpublic schools? If not, why is this the case? Which state employee or employees will be responsible for developing the mandatory satisfaction and engagement survey? Will results be available to participating parents, nonpublic schools, or other stakeholder groups outside the Tax Commission, the governor, and relevant legislative leadership and committees? Will results be made available to the public as state-generated documents? Will results be analyzed? If yes, by whom and for what purpose? Will results be used to improve the program, the nonpublic schools, or student learning? Will results of the annual program report to the governor and relevant legislative leadership and committees be made public and/or used to inform program improvement? SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
