Idaho Health Insurance
About 16 percent of Idaho residents don’t have health insurance, but the Affordable Care Act will change the way many state residents will access coverage. In December 2012, Gov. C.L. Otter announced the state would establish its own health care exchange — named Your Health Idaho. However, the state is not expanding Medicaid at this time.
What is the Idaho health insurance exchange?
A health insurance exchange is a marketplace for people to shop for health insurance from different providers. The plan must offer certain essential benefits mandated by the ACA, and with multiple insurers participating, pricing is more competitive. Trained navigators through Your Health Idaho can help you determine if you qualify for subsidies and understand which health insurance plan is right for you.
Do I qualify for an Idaho health insurance subsidy?
Factors such as income and family size will determine your eligibility for tax credits that will come in the form of subsidies to reduce your premiums.
Health insurance companies participating in Your Health Idaho
Insurers offering plans through Your Health Idaho include:
- Blue Cross of Idaho
- BridgeSpan Health Company
- PacificSource Health Plans
- SelectHealth Inc
Medicare and Medicaid in Idaho
Other government programs in Idaho provide health insurance coverage for the young, the elderly and the disabled. These programs are an important component of Idaho health insurance. If you paid Medicare taxes for at least 10 years before retiring, you may be eligible for Medicare.
Medicaid provides insurance for low-income Idahoans living below the federal poverty level. Eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP are typically based on 2014 poverty level limits, and subsidy eligibility is typically determined using 2013 limits.
Households with incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the 2013 poverty level limit may qualify for a subsidy. That range would be between $11,490 and $45,960 for an individual and between $23,550 and $94,200 for a family of four.
Children’s Health Insurance Program in Idaho
The Idaho Children’s Health Insurance Program provides health coverage to eligible children younger than 19 if they are an Idaho resident and a citizen or legal resident of the United States. Eligibility and premiums are based on the household income of the guardian providing care.
Idaho health and coverage statistics
Idaho population (2022): 1,981,331
Population 65 and older (2021): 16.6 percent
Life expectancy (2019): 79.4 years
Number of Medicaid beneficiaries (2020): 340,742
Number of Medicare beneficiaries (2021): 358,873
Estimated number of uninsured residents (2018): 191,111
Overall state health ranking: 16
Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, U.S. Census Bureau, America’s Health Rankings 2014 report.
Idaho health insurance resources
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare: http://www.healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/
Your Health Idaho (Idaho’s health insurance marketplace): http://www.yourhealthidaho.org/
Idaho Department of Insurance: http://www.doi.idaho.gov/
Idaho Health Plan for Children: http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Medical/Medicaid/IdahoHealthPlanforChildren/tabid/219/default.aspx
Idaho Aging and Disability Resource Center: http://idahoaging.com/adrc/index.html
Medicaid in Idaho: http://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/Default.aspx?TabId=123
Medicare in Idaho: http://www.doi.idaho.gov/shiba/medicare_glance.aspx
