New health insurance exchange bill set for consideration in House committee

The House Health & Welfare Committee has a new bill dealing with a health insurance exchange on its agenda for Wednesday morning, sponsored by freshman Rep. Luke Malek, R-Coeur d’Alene. Idaho Statesman reporter Dan Popkey reported that the measure is aimed at capturing votes for Gov. Butch Otter’s proposed state exchange; the governor’s bill, SB 1042, already has cleared a Senate committee on an 8-1 vote, but won’t come up for Senate debate this week, Popkey reports. It’s not clear whether Malek’s bill is a replacement for the governor’s bill or a companion measure; Malek declined to say. You can read Popkey’s full post here .