Idaho awaits word on Medicaid expansion plan

The federal government could decide by the end of May whether it will accept Idaho’s voter-approved plan to expand Medicaid eligibility.

Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Deputy Director Lisa Hettinger tells The Lewiston Tribune the amended state plan was submitted to the federal centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in February. Federal officials have 90 days to make a decision regarding the amendment, or to provide a list of questions that need to be answered before they can act. Hettinger says that means state leaders should hear something in the next few weeks.

A decision on the work requirement waiver could take much longer, however. Unlike the voter-approved expansion, there is no timeline for when the federal agency must decide on the Legislature-created work requirement waiver.