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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Eye On Boise

Senate debate: ‘Another year is a long time to wait to do the right thing’

From the Senate’s debate on HB 644a, the amended bill that now calls for applying for a waiver to cover the gap population in Idaho: Sen. Jim Guthrie, R-McCammon, said, “Senators, we’ve been kicking this issue around for three sessions now and it’s time for a reality check. We need to either fish or cut bait.”

He decried “more studies and more stalling,” and said, “If we clearly don’t want to do anything, let’s admit that and let’s go home. But it’s my belief that most of the members in this body do want to do something. … Senators, I believe we have the courage to pass this legislation and apply for a waiver. I despise Obamacare as much as many of you, but at least a waiver allows us to craft an Idaho solution for a very real problem. And if control of the White House changes like many hope it will, there are appropriate offramps. The waiver is also subject to legislative approval. … I believe we are at a critical juncture. I want to go home just as badly or more so as you guys do. But I believe we can stay another four hours or another day if that s what it takes, because another year is a long time to wait to do the right thing.”

Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, said Idaho’s current medical indigency and catastrophic carer program is “an inefficient and expensive way to deal with this.” She said sticking with the status quo “won’t make it go away and it is not fiscally conservative.”



Betsy Z. Russell
Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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