Senate approves bill to lower income eligibility for refugee medical assistance

BOISE — The Idaho Senate on Monday approved a bill to reduce the income eligibility for refugee medical assistance. The bill now goes to the governor.

Senators voted 29-6 to pass House Bill 199, which in addition to moving the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare’s administrative rules into statute, reduces the income eligibility for federally funded medical assistance from 150% of federal poverty guidelines to 133% of those guidelines.

For a family of four, 150% of the federal poverty guidelines would be an annual income of $48,225, and 133% of those guidelines would be $42,760 a year for a family of the same size.

Senate sponsor Sen. Josh Keyser, R-Meridian, said the bill was meant to bring the income limitations for assistance more in line with what is available to Idahoans; it was unclear which assistance program he was referring to.

The income limits for adult Medicaid, including the expansion population, is 138% of federal poverty limits.

Keyser said that outstanding medical costs could be subtracted from the total income to help participants meet eligibility.

The refugee medical assistance program is federally funded and administered by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The agency receives around $1.5 million annually for the program, an IDHW spokesperson told the Idaho Press.

Just two senators debated the bill, and both rose for a second time to respond to each other.

Senate Minority Leader Melissa Wintrow, D-Boise, argued that extending help to these refugees “just makes sense,” and that the income limits would only change by a couple thousand dollars.

“These folks are coming from war-torn areas, they’re escaping some pretty awful scenarios, and we’ve provided a little different, and a little extra cushion for those folks,” Wintrow said.

Sen. Brian Lenney, R-Nampa, said that the support should be at the same level as what it is for Idaho residents.

“I can’t imagine going to another country and wanting better treatment and more services than the people who live in that country as an American and wanting better treatment and more services than the people who live in that country currently get,” Lenney said.

Medical insurance through the federal refugee medical assistance program is typically offered for eight months, after which participants may choose to re-apply, according to a 2014 University of Idaho McClure Policy Center report. Those who are eligible for Medicaid are enrolled in that instead of the refugee assistance program, the report said.

A family of four with a monthly income at or below $3,598 would qualify for adult Medicaid in Idaho; this is a slight difference from the eligibility in the bill, with a family of four earning at or below $3,563.29 monthly meeting the 133% of federal poverty guideline limit.

Wintrow stood again to say she thought the refugees did deserve some more help.

“I disagree with the senator in the regard that, look, I think they do deserve more, and that’s a compassionate thing that the United States has done,” Wintrow said. “It’s a Christian thing to say, ‘hey, you’ve come from some pretty terrible scenario, and you have come to a whole other culture just to escape, just so you can live.’ I don’t think it’s a bad thing to provide a little more support.”

Lenney rose again and responded, “I believe the Christian thing to do … would be to let individuals and churches and things like that take care of people.”

The bill passed on party lines and will go to Gov. Brad Little for his signature, veto, or to let it go into effect without signature.

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 Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.

How they voted

Yes: Cindy Carlson-R, Dan Foreman-R, Phil Hart-R