Latest news with #IdahoHouseHealthandWelfareCommittee
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Will Idaho legalize medical marijuana? State lawmakers open discussion
Jeremy Kitzhaber speaks to the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee to advocate for medical marijuana. He previously served in the U.S. Air Force as a civil engineer and first sergeant. He has stage four cancer, which he developed while transporting radioactive materials in the military. In the blue bag to his right, he stores opioids, anti-anxiety medication and Narcan. (Photo by Mia Maldonado/Idaho Capital Sun) Jeremy Kitzhaber, a U.S. Air Force veteran, held up a blue lunch bag to a committee of Idaho lawmakers on Monday which he uses to store the drugs meant to soothe his pain, including hydrocodone, morphine and oxycodone. Kitzhaber has a rare type of stage four cancer that he developed while transporting radioactive and hazardous materials in the military. He can take those strong opioids at any point in the day — in addition to the drugs he takes to keep his cancer from growing and manage his bowel and anxiety. However, the one drug he cannot legally take is marijuana. Idaho has some of the strictest laws against any kind of marijuana usage, but an informational hearing held in the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee opened the discussion for Kitzhaber to advocate for a bill to legalize medical marijuana for Idahoans living with chronic pain and answer lawmakers' questions about what legalizing marijuana would look like in Idaho. Kitzhaber has been working on legislation to legalize marijuana for six years, and this year, Reps. Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, and Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, named House Bill 401, or the 'Sergeant Kitzhaber Medical Cannabis Act,' after him. The sponsors introduced it as a personal bill, meaning it has no chance of advancing this session and is intended to send a message. Unique to most of its neighboring states, marijuana is recreationally and medically illegal in Idaho. During the 2025 legislative session alone, lawmakers passed at least two pieces of legislation aimed to restrict marijuana usage in Idaho. This includes a bill signed by the governor and set to take effect July 1 to implement a $300 minimum fine for individuals found possessing less than three ounces marijuana. Another piece of legislation passed in both chambers is a proposed amendment to the Idaho Constitution that, if approved by voters, would make it so that only the Idaho Legislature has the power to legalize marijuana and other narcotics. House Bill 401 is modeled after Utah's legislation, Rubel told the committee, who said Idaho lawmakers should at some point consider this type of legislation. The bill would move marijuana from a schedule 1 drug to a schedule 2 controlled substance. It would allow medical practitioners to give medical cannabis cards to patients who are at least 21 years old and diagnosed with qualifying conditions such as cancer, ALS, AIDS, Crohn's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other debilitating illnesses. The card would be valid for up to one year, and renewal must be sought after. Under the bill, individuals with medical cannabis cards would not be subject to prosecution for certain amounts of marijuana possession. 'The bill does not legalize cannabis, it only decriminalizes it,' Kitzhaber said. Rep. Rob Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend, asked Kitzhaber how the bill addresses preventing the smell of marijuana from reaching the public. Kitzhaber said it would be illegal to use medical marijuana in public, and users who violate the policy once would lose their card. Kitzhaber has gone through 150 rounds of cancer treatment and eight different types. His monthly treatment and medicine costs $17,000, he said. He's tried marijuana in states where it is legal, and he said it helped him sleep. It is safer and less expensive than the opioids he takes now, he said. Allowing medical marijuana would help him and other veterans with similar conditions, he told the committee, but Kitzhaber said he does not risk using it in Idaho because it would put his veteran benefits at risk. 'I have an exemplary military career. I don't have a criminal record, and I don't want one for something like this,' Kitzhaber said. This article was first published by the Idaho Capital Sun, part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho bill to ban SNAP coverage for candy, soda narrowly advances to House
A sign noting the acceptance of electronic benefit transfer, or EBT, cards that are used by states to issue benefits is displayed at a convenience store on Dec. 4, 2019, in Richmond, California. () By one vote, an Idaho House committee advanced a bill to ban a nutritional assistance program formerly known as food stamps from covering candy and soda. House Bill 109, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to seek federal approval to exclude candy and soda from foods eligible for coverage by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Calling the bill part of the national movement coined 'Make America Healthy Again,' or MAHA, promoted by U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Redman told the committee Kennedy has expressed support for SNAP policy changes. 'Our federal government is really looking at this. And I'm asking for this committee, and our state, to move forward and help make Idaho healthy again by pulling out soda and candy,' Redman said in committee. The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee, on an 8-7 vote Tuesday, sent the bill to the House floor with a recommendation that it pass. The committee did not accept public testimony on the bill at the hearing. Two weeks ago, the committee voted to temporarily hold the bill in committee. That decision to hold the bill came after nearly an hour of public testimony and debate, where some lawmakers said they agreed with concerns raised by some business industry representatives that the bill would place onerous burdens on grocery stores to identify foods that would be banned from SNAP coverage, and the bill's definition of candy was too broad and might even apply to granola and protein bars. The bill defines candy as 'a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of confections, bars, drops or pieces.' Under the bill, candy would not include 'any item that contains more than' 10% flour 'by weight or requires refrigeration.' Debating the bill in committee Tuesday, Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, said she would be more sympathetic to the bill if it dealt with 'junk food.' 'I don't see why we need to be banning granola bars and power bars and things that actually seem like they could be pretty healthy for people,' Rubel said. '… I feel like this is not really tailored to actually weeding out junk food. And some of this stuff is probably healthier than potato chips and Jell-O and other things that aren't banned.' More than 134,000 Idahoans are enrolled in SNAP, according to figures released in December. On average, an Idahoan on SNAP receives $181 in program benefits monthly, data from Health and Welfare shows. The bill would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to request federal approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through a waiver to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda. If the federal government doesn't grant that waiver for Idaho, the bill says the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare 'shall request such a waiver annually until such a waiver is granted.' The bill's fiscal note estimates it would not have a fiscal impact. Republican legislators in Arizona, Kansas, Utah and Wyoming have introduced similar bills to request federal approval to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda, Stateline reported. House Bill 109 heads to the Idaho House, where it could be voted on in the coming days. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor's veto. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho House introduces bill to cut Medicaid expansion costs — without repeal trigger
A person stands in front of the Liberty Bell replica at the Idaho State Capitol building in Boise on Jan. 11, 2023. (Otto Kitsinger for Idaho Capital Sun) A North Idaho lawmaker pushing for Medicaid expansion reform introduced a new bill meant to contain expansion's costs — without the threat of repealing the voter-approved law. The Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday introduced the new bill, House Bill 328, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene. Dubbed the 'Medicaid Reform and Cost-Containment Act,' the bill doesn't include many of the 11 policy changes a previous Medicaid expansion reform-or repeal bill by Redman demands to avoid triggering the repeal of Idaho Medicaid expansion. That bill narrowly passed the full Idaho House last week. But the new bill proposes Idaho submit to the federal government a plan for 'comprehensive medicaid managed care,' which is when private companies manage Medicaid benefits, and end Idaho's use of doctor-managed care, which is commonly called value based care. Introducing the new bill in committee, Redman said the bill is based on feedback to Redman's previous Medicaid expansion reform-or-repeal bill and has been worked on since that other legislation passed the Idaho House. 'This is part of a negotiation between myself, the good chairman, and Senate leadership to bring forward a path for meaningful Medicaid reforms,' Redman told the House Health and Welfare Committee. He also told the committee that the bill was not responding to any threats. On Saturday, the Coeur d'Alene Press reported that local police were investigating a threat against Redman's office that originated on social media. The new bill is cosponsored by the chairs of the Legislature's Health and Welfare committees, Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, and Sen. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, along with Sen. Carl Bjerke, R-Coeur d'Alene. The bill could save Idaho $15.9 million in fiscal year 2026 and even more in the future, the bill's fiscal note estimates. But the timing depends on federal approval, the fiscal note says. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Redman told the committee the new bill doesn't include several of the policy changes from his reform-or-repeal bill, like the three-year cap on Medicaid expansion enrollment, capping expansion enrollment at potentially less than half of the current almost 90,000 enrollees — and the Medicaid expansion repeal trigger if all 11 policy changes were not implemented. Redman's new, complex Medicaid cost-containment bill proposes a range of other program policy changes — including work requirements for able-bodied adults enrolled in Medicaid expansion, which is also in his reform-or-repeal bill. The new bill also calls for Idaho to seek federal approval for 'participant cost-sharing,' submit a plan for 'comprehensive Medicaid managed care,' and stop contracting with and reimbursing Idaho's value care program by Jan. 1, 2026. Similar to a provision in Redman's previous bill, the new bill has a provision to address if the federal government reduces its financial matching rate for Medicaid expansion, which is 90% compared to Idaho's typical federal Medicaid match rate of 70%. If the federal financial participation rate in Medicaid expansion reduces outside of a state legislative session, the bill directs the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to 'take any action necessary to offset the increase in state funding,' such as by cutting optional benefits or reducing provider payment rates. In an interview after the committee meeting, Redman told the Idaho Capital Sun his Medicaid expansion reform-or-repeal bill, House Bill 138, is still active this legislative session. 'It's still sitting over in the Senate. However, meeting with the Senate leadership … it's going to be a hard lift for them, so we decided to bring this bill' so they can have a choice, Redman told the Sun. He said he believes House Bill 138 is awaiting scheduling for a committee hearing in the Senate while lawmakers wait 'to see what happens with this one.' Redman said he thinks the expansion repeal trigger in his previous bill was the biggest concern to Senate leadership, but he said they were also concerned about the enrollment cap and lifetime limit. In a text message Tuesday, Senate Health and Welfare Committee Chairwoman VanOrden told the Sun that the Medicaid reform-or-repeal bill 'will be staying at my desk for now.' 'I appreciate the work my colleagues in the House have done to contain costs and protect Idahoans from the growing burden of abuse and fraud. I also have heard the concerns from many of you about the full repeal of Medicaid expansion,' she said. 'Working closely with Chairman Vander Woude and Representative Redman, as well as Vice Chair Bjerke, we have introduced a new bill that will ensure access to healthcare in rural Idaho and implement reforms that Medicaid desperately needs.' In a statement, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Government Relations Director Randy Johnson celebrated 'the defeat' of the Medicaid expansion reform-or-repeal bill, but expressed concern about the new bill. 'The defeat of HB 138 is a critical victory for Idahoans who rely on Medicaid Expansion for life-saving care, including cancer patients and those with chronic illnesses,' Johnson said in a statement. 'However, we remain deeply concerned about the remaining waiver proposals in (the new bill) that would impose unnecessary red tape and bureaucratic hurdles, ultimately leading to health coverage losses for hard-working families.' The Idaho House Health and Welfare introduced Redman's new bill with little discussion. Introducing the bill tees it up for a full committee hearing, with public testimony and a possible vote to advance it to the House floor. To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor's veto. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho bill that could repeal Medicaid expansion advances to House, despite negative public testimony
Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, on the Idaho House floor on March 25, 2024. (Kyle Pfannenstiel/Idaho Capital Sun) By one vote, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday advanced a bill critics said would repeal Medicaid expansion. House Bill 138, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, requires Idaho to enact 11 Medicaid policy changes or repeal Medicaid expansion — a policy that lets more low-income Idahoans be eligible for the health insurance assistance program. Idaho needs approval from the federal government to implement many of the policy changes — like work requirements, capping expansion enrollment, and kicking people off Medicaid expansion after three years — that Redman's bill would require. If any of those policies aren't in effect by July 2026, the bill would repeal Medicaid expansion, a law passed in 2018 by nearly 61% of Idaho voters. 'Today, you may hear testimony saying that this bill is a sneaky way to repeal Medicaid expansion. And that's simply not the case,' Redman told the committee as the hearing began. 'This bill is taking Medicaid expansion, putting accountability measures in place and cutting waste to make sure that the state is being the best stewards as we can be for taxpayer funds.' But in an analysis of the bill, Idaho Voices for Children found several of those provisions have either never been attempted or approved, even during President Donald Trump's first term. 'To me, this is the bullets in the gun to kind of force them a little bit, right?' Redman told the committee in response to a question. 'I think without that, I do think it could sit on a desk and not have any attention to it.' About 89,300 Idahoans are enrolled in Medicaid expansion, according to December figures from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Last year, the same House committee halted a similar Medicaid expansion reform-or-repeal bill by Redman — after wide public opposition that cast the bill as an attempt to repeal Medicaid expansion with more steps. This year, Redman's bill was also met with wide opposition in public testimony — from doctors, patients on Medicaid and others — that largely focused on the same point. But since last year, the committee's makeup has changed significantly, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. And Redman says the federal government — under the Trump administration — is likely to approve the sideboards his bill demands. Dr. Brandon Mickelsen, representing the board of directors for the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians, urged the committee to oppose the bill. Many rural hospitals in Idaho are at risk of closing due to financial reasons, he said. 'These medical costs won't go away if you repeal Medicaid expansion,' Mickelsen said. 'You will create enormous costs for rural hospitals and local communities.' In response to critical questions from committee members about how the bill wouldn't effectively repeal Medicaid expansion, Redman maintained he believed the federal government would likely approve Idaho's requests for sideboards through waivers. And he stressed that the bill is intended to reform — not repeal — Medicaid expansion. Some lawmakers weren't convinced the bill would avoid repeal. 'This is not a reform bill. This will kill Medicaid expansion' said Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls, the committee's vice chair. 'And those rural clinics will be the number one first places to go.' But many of the committee's members who are serving their first year in the Legislature joined Redman and committee Chairman John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, to pass a motion on an 8-7 vote to send the bill to the full House floor, rejecting a motion to hold the bill in committee. Two freshman lawmakers who supported advancing the bill stressed the bill ought to go before the entire Idaho House of Representatives. Noting that the committee members were largely new to serving in the Legislature, Rep. Tanya Burgoyne, R-Pocatello, said, 'I think it would be irresponsible of us not to turn to the institutional knowledge that is here in the body of the House — that has been here that has a lot more insight than us eight freshmen.' The Idaho House 'is responsible for approving the appropriation for this … expansion for Medicaid as a whole,' said Rep. Lucas Cayler, R-Caldwell. Lawmakers on the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee who voted to advance the bill to the full House floor included: Chairman John Vander Woude, R-Nampa; Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene; Rep. Robert Beiswenger, R-Horseshoe Bend; Rep. Lucas Cayler, R-Caldwell; Rep. Tanya Burgoyne, R-Pocatello; Rep. David Leavitt, R-Twin Falls; Rep. Cornel Rasor, R–Sagle; and Rep. Faye Thompson, R-McCall. Lawmakers who opposed advancing the bill included: Rep. Marco Erickson, R-Idaho Falls; Rep. Dori Healey, R-Boise; Rep. Josh Wheeler, R-Ammon; Rep. Ben Fuhriman R-Shelley; Rep. Lori McCann, R-Lewiston; and the committee's two Democrats, Idaho House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel and Rep. Megan Egbert, both from Boise. Three of the five people who spoke in favor of the bill were conservative think tank representatives. That was also similar to last year's hearing. About two dozen people testified against the bill Wednesday. But Egbert said opposition was even wider in written testimony and among people who registered but didn't testify in Wednesday's over two-hour committee hearing. Dr. Kelly McGrath, a family medicine physician who practices in Orofino, told the committee at best the bill would cut off health care access for thousands of Idahoans. At worst the bill would shut down Medicaid expansion, he said. 'The patients I see through Medicaid expansion are often experiencing difficult medical conditions, or just living through challenging financial times. For those patients, health coverage is a literal lifeline,' McGrath testified. McGrath said Idaho Medicaid expansion has let patients access preventive care and screenings that help detect health issues early on, 'when treatments are most effective' and 'less expensive.' CONTACT US 'Recently, I had a patient tell me, 'Without Medicaid, I would be dead,'' McGrath said. 'She was right.' Sandra Rainey, who lives in Boise, told the committee 'it is a blessing' that her 28-year-old daughter — who lives with Rainey and works full-time, earning $14.50 an hour — is on Medicaid, along with her daughter's two kids. Without Medicaid, Rainey said her daughter would go into debt 'every month due to severe asthma issues' along with the cost of medication and physician care. A quarter of Idaho's direct care workforce — in low-paid, demanding jobs that Idaho has a shortage of workers for — rely on Medicaid expansion for insurance, Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities Executive Director Christine Pisani testified. 'If Medicaid expansion is repealed, 25% of the direct care workforce in Medicaid's home and community based service system would lose their health care coverage due to low wages,' Pisani said. '… This loss would continue to impact the amount of people who work in the direct service field, who are available to support seniors and people with disabilities. We cannot afford to lose any more workers in this field.' Most of the supporters who testified spoke about the need to tamp down rising costs of Idaho Medicaid expansion. The federal government pays 90% of Idaho's Medicaid expansion costs. Report: Federal funds for Idaho Medicaid expansion spurs $1.5 billion in economic output In 2019, before Medicaid expansion, Idaho Medicaid's total budget was almost $2.5 billion, including $1.6 billion in federal dollars and about $880 million in state dollars. For next fiscal year, which starts in July 2025, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare requested $5.3 billion — including $3.5 billion in federal funds and $1.8 billion in state funds. Idaho Freedom Foundation legislative affairs director Fred Birnbaum called the bill 'a necessity.' 'A gun is to our head. And this bill, if we don't do this now, what will we do? Nothing's been done yet,' Birnbuam said. Speaking on behalf of the Foundation for Government Accountability Action — a Florida-based conservative think tank that worked with Redman on the bill — Paige Terryberry said the bill 'will rescue Idaho's budget, reprioritize the truly needy and restore faith in Idaho's institutions.' Mountain States Policy Center President Chris Cargill said the bill is about adding side rails on Medicaid expansion — not repealing it. 'It's a mistake to assume that just because a waiver hasn't been approved in the past, that it won't be approved in the future,' he testified. 'And what has changed, of course, has been the new Trump administration looking to be more innovative and cutting government waste and getting our fiscal house in order.' Fuhriman, a Republican from Ammon, said he had heard so many different statistics about Idaho Medicaid expansion that he didn't know what to trust. But Fuhriman pointed to economic impacts from Idaho's Medicaid expansion. Estimating that next year, Idaho Medicaid expansion would cost Idaho $130 million, he said that translates to '$65 per capita. But the economic impact of Medicaid … is $750 per capita.' 'I'm a financial planner. That's a pretty good return on investment,' Fuhriman continued. 'We've worked hard to reduce taxes. We've had three different tax bills this session that we're looking at, spearheaded by our speaker, to the tune of nearly $400 million. And we want to say that our budget is out of control because of $130 million being spent on Medicaid — that brings in nearly $47 million in total tax revenue.' Despite rapid population growth, rising costs of living and inflation driving up service costs, an Idaho Fiscal Policy Center report released Tuesday found 'Medicaid costs have grown slower than other parts of the state budget.' Total general fund expenditures in Idaho grew by 39.5% from Idaho's state fiscal years 2019 to 2024, but Medicaid expenditures grew in that time at roughly half that rate — rising 19.6%, according to the report. Idaho Medicaid expansion also saves money across other state programs. In Idaho's fiscal year 2023, state costs for Medicaid expansion were about $73 million, but expansion saved about $78 million that year across other policy areas, like in corrections, drug courts, behavioral health, county indigent funds and state catastrophic health programs. Last week, an economic analysis by University of Idaho professor Steven Peterson found the federal government's extra federal funds for Idaho Medicaid expansion — less than $1 billion this fiscal year — generated $1.5 billion in economic output in Idaho, the Sun previously reported. The report also found those extra federal dollars boosted Idaho's tax revenues by almost $47 million. Since Idaho's Medicaid expansion took effect in 2020, Idaho Hospital Association CEO Brian Whitlock testified that the Legislature has 'given billions in tax relief,' funded education 'at historic levels,' invested in infrastructure at record levels, and stockpiled rainy day funds 'to the brim.' Bonnie Shuster, a Boise resident, also pointed to the Legislature's tax cuts. 'You say we can't afford these funds to keep our people healthy. But then propose even bigger tax cuts that mostly help the wealthy,' she said. 'Please support health care for all of us.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Idaho bill to ban SNAP coverage for candy and soda held for two weeks by House committee
A "SNAP welcomed here" sign is seen at the entrance to a Big Lots store in Portland, Oregon. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federal program. (Getty Images) Amid concerns about a proposed bill to ban coverage for candy and soda by the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the Idaho House Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday voted to hold the bill for two weeks. House Bill 109, by Rep. Jordan Redman, R-Coeur d'Alene, would require the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare to seek federal approval to exclude candy and soda from foods eligible for SNAP, the program formerly known as food stamps. Redman told the committee his bill is intended to address the 'junk food epidemic in our country.' 'Children on SNAP have substandard diets that are more likely to elevate disease risk than non-participants with similar incomes. They also consume 43% more sugar-sweetened beverages than non-participants of similar income levels,' Redman said. Another nutritional assistance program for Women, Infants or Children, or WIC, has 'tighter nutritional standards,' he said. When his family received food stamp benefits when he was young, Redman said candy and soda were not allowed. 'Taxpayers are currently funding the growing health crisis, with soda ranking as the number one commodity bought through SNAP,' Redman said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX In nearly an hour of public testimony and debate Tuesday, many lawmakers said they agreed with the bill's intent. But some lawmakers said they agreed with concerns raised by some business industry representatives: that the bill would place onerous burdens on grocery stores to identify foods that would be banned from SNAP coverage, and the bill's definition of candy was too broad and might even apply to granola and protein bars. The bill defines candy as 'a preparation of sugar, honey, or other natural or artificial sweeteners combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts or other ingredients or flavorings in the form of confections, bars, drops or pieces.' The bill excluded from its definition of candy 'any item that contains more than' 10% flour ''by weight or requires refrigeration.' The House Health and Welfare Committee, on a narrow 8-7 vote, held the bill for two weeks in committee. On narrow votes, the committee rejected motions to stop the bill from advancing this legislative session or to send it to the amending order, when any House lawmaker can propose amendments to the bill. More than 134,000 Idahoans are enrolled in SNAP, according to figures released in December. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
