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Trump administration begins sweeping layoffs with probationary workers, warns of larger cuts to come; NYC music school teachers strike after union negotiations break down; Ohio advocates push for inclusive policies during Black History Month; Health experts recommend sunshine, socializing to cure 'winter blues.'

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Federal workers tasked with securing elections from foreign interference are placed on leave, parents' organizations reject dismantling Dept. of Education, and the Congressional Black Caucus presses discussions on slavery reparations.

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Rural America struggles with opioids and homelessness in unexpected ways, Colorado's Lariat Ditch could help spur local recreation, and book deliveries revive rural communities hit by Hurricane Helene.

Study: Rural Idahoans depend on Medicaid coverage

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Monday, January 20, 2025   

Rural communities in Idaho and other states rely heavily on Medicaid for health coverage, according to new research from the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families.

Nearly 37% of children in rural Idaho are covered through Medicaid or CHIP, compared with 33% in urban areas.

Hillarie Hagen, senior policy associate at Idaho Voices for Children, said lawmakers in Boise and Washington, D.C. are considering cuts to the program.

"If lawmakers at the state and federal level go through with the sweeping Medicaid cuts that they're proposing, it's important to know that we all will lose," Hagen contended. "But our rural areas have even more at stake."

Idaho legislators want to roll back Medicaid expansion voters passed in 2018. The research also found 17% of non-elderly adults in rural Idaho rely on Medicaid, compared with 15.7% in urban areas. More than 26% of Idahoans live in rural areas, compared with the national average of about 14%.

Some lawmakers have balked at the cost of the program.

Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families, said the program keeps people healthy enough to work and creates better health outcomes for kids. She argued policymakers should realize programs like Medicaid are not government waste.

"In the long term, it's a much better investment of taxpayer dollars," Alker asserted. "Because it'll pay dividends to make sure that these families are getting the care they need."

Hagen noted drops in Medicaid do not just threaten the people enrolled. Rural hospitals also rely on Medicaid dollars.

"Medicaid cuts are going to make it harder for our rural hospitals and small clinics to keep their doors open, which threatens health care access for everyone."

Disclosure: The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families contributes to our fund for reporting on Children's Issues, and Health Issues. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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