Friday, January 12, 2024

Welcome to the first edition of the 2024 IMA Weekly Legislative Report. Every Friday during the Idaho Legislative Session, you will receive an update from the lobby team highlighting activities around the Capitol, updates on IMA’s Legislative Priorities, and progress on legislation impacting IMA in the form of a bill tracker.

The State of the State acts as the official kickoff to the Idaho Legislative Session. The annual tradition provides the sitting Governor with the platform to share accomplishments from the previous year and to highlight upcoming budget requests and legislative priorities. Simply put, it sets the tone for the Legislative Session.

Following the address, Governor Little provided an overview of all highlighted budget priorities. The following are his requests specific to health and human services:

• Adds $447,000 in funding for eight new medical residency positions to address the shortage of physicians in Idaho and continue implementing the 10-year Graduate Medical Education plan.

o  IMA Note: this recommendation doesn’t represent the full funding request recommended to fully implement Year 7 of the 10-year plan (details below).

• Funds Medicaid spending at the same level as the prior-year (FY 2024), while addressing needed provider rate increases. The state will also pursue a work requirement for the Medicaid expansion population.

o  IMA Note: our team is gathering information about the details of the work requirement proposal. IMA has expressed concerns about Medicaid work requirements proposed in the past.

• Utilizes more than $2 million from the opioid settlement fund to advance recommendations from the Idaho Behavioral Health Council. This includes investments to support behavioral health workers and increase their capacity, as well as increasing opportunities for treatment for targeted populations.

• Adds $25 million for the construction of a secure, forensic 26-bed mental health facility to care for patients committed and determined to be dangerously mentally ill by Idaho courts.

A Full Health Exception is Needed

IMA supports changes to Idaho’s abortion laws to make it legal for physicians to provide standard of care, evidence-based treatments for women whose life or health may be endangered by the following pregnancy complications, among others:



• Preeclampsia (Severe and dangerous hypertension) 
• Premature rupture of membranes that cannot result in the birth of a child
• Maternal diagnoses of cancer
• Maternal heart failure
• Other very serious medical conditions, which if left untreated, can become life-threatening

IMA strongly supports Idaho laws that ensure timely access to healthcare for women, especially those experiencing pregnancy complications. IMA is once again committed to working with the Legislature to remedy the unintended consequences for Idaho families. Idaho physicians want to be able to provide standard of care treatments in these situations to protect the lives, health, and fertility of Idaho women.

IMA encourages you to send a message to your legislators to urge their support of a health exception.

Reinstatement of the Maternal Mortality Review Committee (MMRC)

MMRCs convene at the state level to comprehensively review deaths that occur during or within one year of pregnancy. The committee is tasked to analyze these deaths and make recommendations to policymakers and state agencies on how they can best be avoided. MMRCs must be created through statute and reside in a state agency to assure access to key documents and proper peer review protections for the medical experts reviewing the cases.

During the 2023 legislative session, Idaho’s MMRC sunset. As a result, we are now the only state in the country without a committee. IMA believes the MMRC plays a critical role in maternal health and preventing maternal death. We are committed to working with the Legislature to reinstate the MMRC and to do so as a permanent committee.

12-Month Extension of Medicaid Postpartum Coverage

Idaho is one of the last remaining states to offer just 60 days of postpartum coverage, the minimum amount required by federal law, for qualifying patients. Following 60 days, many mothers are without coverage, which means a lapse in routine appointments for recovery and development. Extending coverage to 12 months has been shown to reduce maternal mortality and was a key recommendation by the MMRC.

Access to timely and reliable postpartum care is critical for all mothers. IMA strongly supports Medicaid postpartum coverage and will work with the Idaho Legislature to extend access to 12 months.

Resuming Naloxone Distribution

Opioid overdose rates continue to increase in Idaho. The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) has tried to combat this through an opioid reversal medication called naloxone. When administered timely, naloxone is critical to prevent permanent damage and death. In 2022, naloxone kits distributed throughout the state were responsible for 1,200 opioid overdose reversals.

Unfortunately, during the 2023 legislative session, the DHW’s ability to distribute naloxone kits through community-based organizations was severely restricted, and broad availability is limited. IMA strongly supports lifting those restrictions and restoring DHW’s ability to distribute these kits more widely.

Throughout the Legislative Session, IMA monitors legislation and provides status updates every Friday. Click here to view the IMA Bill Tracker.