Governor grilled on medical issues

Health care access and education are top-of-mind policy issues for some senior Idahoans.

Gov. Brad Little fielded questions Wednesday during a “Telephone Town Hall” with AARP members from across the state.

Access to health care, especially when it comes to a lack of providers, came up multiple times during the hourlong event.

A man from Bonners Ferry, Idaho, said his local doctor’s office has struggled to recruit physicians over the last couple of years and that a physician assistant he spoke to there is considering leaving because of the political climate.

“I’d like to see the governor push back on some of the fringe elements that are chipping away at the more sane ways of dealing with politics here,” he said.

The man said his son was moving out of the state because his wife became pregnant and there was no OB-GYN for 50 miles.

Last year, Bonner General Health announced it was discontinuing its labor and delivery services, and cited loss of pediatrician coverage in the area, aging demographics and the legal and political climate, the Bonners Ferry Herald reported.

Between 2022 and 2023, the state lost more than 50 doctors, according to a report by the Idaho Physician Well-Being Action Collaborative.

Several physicians have cited Idaho’s strict abortion bans, which come with felony prison sentences, as contributing to the loss of physicians. Many health care providers have asked the Legislature to amend the ban to include a clear exception for the health of the mother — there is a narrow exemption to prevent the death of the mother.

The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a challenge to the ban from the Department of Justice that says the lack of health exemption violates federal law.

The report also found that just 22 of Idaho’s 44 counties have access to a practicing obstetrician.

Little did not mention the state’s abortion bans but noted that his hometown has also dealt with this issue — Valor Health in Emmett also announced last year that it would end labor and delivery services. Little noted that it’s easier for Emmett residents to get those services elsewhere than it is for people in northern Idaho.

He highlighted recent efforts to boost the state’s health care workforce, including partnerships with Kootenai Health to train certified nursing assistants and the nursing program at North Idaho College.

Little highlighted his program Idaho Launch, which provides grants to graduating high school seniors for tuition or training to pursue “in-demand” careers.

He said there’s been a high interest in health care careers from Launch applicants, which was a “ray of hope” for the issue.

He also discussed Medicaid. Little said he agrees with the Legislature that the cost of Medicaid is a concern but that inflation has affected health care costs.

AARP Idaho state director Lupe Wissel said that many people who use Medicare or Medicaid are having a hard time finding care, as many facilities that accept these are not accepting new patients.

Little again pointed to efforts to strengthen the workforce in the industry.

“You can’t fix it if you don’t have people,” he said.

Several questions also focused on education in the state, including from one man from West Bonner County where a levy just recently failed in the May election.

The resident from the area said he was disappointed with the school district’s educational outcomes — West Bonner School District had a graduation rate of 66.2% in 2023, according to the Idaho Department of Education. Statewide, the four-year graduation rate is 81.1%. The caller also said literacy scores were low in the district.

He questioned Little on whether teacher pay increases should be tied to student achievement.

Little said that many of these outcomes may need to be addressed by local school boards and superintendents. The governor also said today’s kids face unique challenges that he is still hoping to address.

“These kids are a lot more challenging than they used to be,” Little said. “The social pressure on these kids because of their devices and the internet is something that I obviously never saw, my children didn’t see, and now my grandchildren have it.”

He said he wants to work with the Legislature to limit the use of phones in schools.

A Pocatello resident lauded the recent large state investment made in school facilities, but he thought teachers were “still massively underpaid.”

Little said that recent efforts to raise teacher pay and improve their health care benefits have helped reduce turnover. He said the vacancy rate and attrition rate for teachers is now comparable to other state agencies, and that it used to be higher.

A Mountain Home woman asked about his thoughts on “tax breaks for those who homeschool their children.”

Little repeated his stance that Idaho has abundant “school choice,” especially because students are not tied to the district that matches their ZIP code because of open enrollment and the many charter options.

He noted that there are some funds available for homeschool families, including the Empowering Parents microgrants, which can be used for certain eligible educational expenses.

He said when it came to homeschooling, “I think that the Legislature more or less is interested if the state’s going to write a check, we want to know there is some level of accountability out there about how that money is spent.”

Little also answered questions about affordable housing, dams and salmon recovery, and solar power.

Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on X @EyeOnBoiseGuido.