5 GOP legislators take Medicaid stand

Three Republican members of the House Health & Welfare Committee this morning submitted formal letters to the committee pledging to vote against any bill, rule or measure that comes before the panel next year, regardless of the fiscal impact, until a waiver program to cover the gap population is presented and brought up for a vote in the full House, and two more GOP representatives on the panel said they’d do the same. “What I am unwilling to tolerate is inaction,” declared Rep. Christy Perry, R-Nampa. She and Reps. Kelley Packer, R-McCammon, and Carolyn Nilsson Troy, R-Genesee, said they were unhappy with the two bills their committee was presented as the only options yesterday/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here

• H&W kills interim committee on Medicaid ‘gap’
• JFAC votes 13-6 for $5.4M in Medicaid funding

Question: Isn’t it nice that 5 Republicans in the whole Idaho Legislature has compassion for the working poor? Thoughts?