Gov. Otter’s Health Care Panel Set to Meet

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The panel appointed to scrutinize whether Idaho should expand Medicaid coverage to include more low-income people meets for the first time Monday. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter appointed the 15-member group last month, along with a separate panel that’s looking into whether the state should establish its own insurance exchange under President Barack Obama’s health care reforms. The insurance exchange group met Thursday and is slated to meet again in late August. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the insurance overhaul, but concluded states like Idaho couldn’t be punished for not expanding Medicaid coverage to adults with incomes up to 138 percent of poverty. Consequently, Otter formed the Medicaid panel, to look into the best course of action for Idaho. Recommendations are slated to be made to the governor by Nov. 1.