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IDHW Medicaid Managed Care RFI Posted Responses Due 12/31/25 IDHW has posted their "Public Request for Information Regarding Idaho Medicaid Managed Care". This is part of their effort to solicit input from stakeholders as they begin the work of transitioning Idaho's Medicaid program from a fee-for-service system to a comprehensive managed care model. IDHW is inviting interested Medicaid members, providers, and organizations to participate in this survey to help inform Idaho’s transition. The IRHA encourages individual provider agencies to respond and survey respondents should submit one survey for each affiliation. The survey is open through Wednesday, December 31st, 2025. To learn more about the Idaho Medicaid managed care transition or submit questions about this survey, please visit https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/managedcare. |
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IDHW Managed Care Listening Sessions Voice your concerns about the recent Medicaid provider rate cuts at upcoming Department of Health & Welfare Listening Sessions designed to solicit input on the State's transition to comprehensive managed care. Please plan to attend one or more of these sessions. Even though the focus is on managed care, please voice your concerns about the negative impacts that the current rate cuts will have on providers as we look ahead to this transition. Additional sessions have been announced (see below), and IRHA will share more information regarding locations for these sessions when they are released. |
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Rural Health Transformation Grant
Earlier this month, the Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) submitted Idaho's application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a portion of the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) authorized by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The application was finalized by the recently-formulated Idaho Rural Health Taskforce created by Executive Order last month.
50% of the funds, or $25 billion, will be distributed equally among approved states. If all states are approved, Idaho will receive $100 million annually for five years, for a total $500 million. The remaining 50%, or $25 billion, will be distributed according to several factors, including population in rural areas, proportion of rural healthcare facilities in the state compared to national facilities, and financial health of rural hospitals. Idaho could get up to an additional $100 million annually if awarded. The anticipated award decision is December 31st, 2025.
IDHW deployed a survey to gather feedback on how grant funds could be used, and they received more than 500 responses across all 44 counties which were utilized to formulate the state’s application. Idaho's application is built around five initiatives identified based on this feedback, including:
- Initiative 1: Improving rural access to care through technology.
- Initiative 2: Ensuring accessible, quality care through innovative models.
- Initiative 3: Sustaining rural workforce with training, recruitment, and retention.
- Initiative 4: Implementing population-specific, evidence-based projects to make rural America healthy again.
- Initiative 5: Investing in rural health infrastructure and partnerships.
The initiatives outlined in the application remain broad and did not include specific concepts submitted by respondents.
Once the state receives approval from CMS, the Governor will submit a budget request to the Legislature for the approved amount and purposes. It is unclear at this point how extensive the Legislative appropriation process will be and how much that might delay the distribution of funds, but once spending authority is granted, the Department will then open a competitive solicitation process for the RHTP funds.
For more information, you can visit Idaho’s RHTP website for updates and FAQ’s.