Here's a news item from the Associated Press:  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho lawmakers have introduced legislation that would give pregnant women on Medicaid the option of using a licensed midwife, potentially saving the state money that could help alleviate budget woes. Lawmakers on the House Health and Welfare Committee backed the measure Tuesday. It now goes to the full House. Sponsors of the measure say Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor and disabled, now covers nearly 40 percent of all births in Idaho and the state could save up to $100,000 in general funds each year if the midwife option is available. Kris Ellis with the Idaho Midwifery Council says a hospital delivery costs Medicaid about $6,000. The cost of a midwife-assisted birth, which is currently not an option for women on Medicaid, is estimated at about $1,500.