Idaho GOP trims expectation of Medicaid expansion

Republican leaders in Idaho on Friday dampened expectations about broadening Medicaid healthcare eligibility this year for poor residents in the state, on the same grounds they balked in 2013: Before taking extra federal money, the existing system should be overhauled to encourage beneficiaries to take personal responsibility for their health.

President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul envisioned adding many low-income singles, among others, to the program, but the U.S. Supreme Court left the final decision up to states. /> Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter told reporters at the Capitol in Boise during The Associated Press's legislative preview that expanding Medicaid without revamping the government-backed healthcare system for low-income, elderly and disabled people wasn't acceptable. Proposed changes he seeks include a system in which payments go to healthcare providers based on treatment outcomes, not just services provided, as well as boosting co-pays to penalize people who don't follow doctors' orders, including losing weight when instructed to do so.

"It doesn't do any good if you're just paying for every time a patient crosses that threshold," Otter said. "I want to see better outcomes."

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Source: Modern Healthcare