Idaho Senate approves Medicaid expansion budget

The Idaho Senate overwhelmingly approved the proposed 2020 budget for Medicaid expansion in a 31-3 vote on Monday.

The measure now moves on to the House.

The Lewiston Tribune reports the Senate vote means the voter-mandated Medicaid expansion has passed its first major legislative hurdle, but the vote is expected to be much closer in the Idaho House.

The budget authorizes $2.83 billion in total funding for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s Medicaid Division. Most of that will come from federal funding and will go toward supporting the traditional Medicaid program. The budget also includes about $9.3 million in general state fund support for Medicaid expansion, an amount that will be offset entirely by savings in other agency budgets.