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Lawmakers exploring health care alternatives for poor Idahoans convened Tuesday at a hearing where off-topic detours underscored lingering ideological differences that have blocked consensus on a resolution. ... The issue is how to improve health care for 78,000 Idahoans who, despite their low incomes, earn too much to be eligible for Medicaid but not enough to qualify for subsidized health coverage available via the exchange that Idaho created under the 2010 Affordable Care Act. (Dentzer, 7/20)

As someone who works long shifts at a restaurant while putting in at least 20 hours each week trying to launch an outdoor adventure business, Tyler Offerman said he opposes Gov. Matt Bevin's proposed changes to Medicaid. ... A dozen people -- including a Roman Catholic priest, a nun, a physician, a farmer and others telling their stories about health coverage -- gathered in Frankfort on Wednesday to protest Bevin's proposed changes to the federal-state health plan. (Yetter, 7/20)

States such as California, New Jersey, Kentucky and Arkansas, which have expanded their Medicaid programs, have seen sharp decreases in their uninsured rates. States that didn't expand Medicaid, such as Texas, Florida and Virginia, did not experience as much of a drop in the number of people without health insurance. ... Advocates of expansion say that a decision to not expand can negatively affect the finances of a state's hospitals, the tax burden born by its residents and the premiums residents pay for private insurance plan coverage. Expansion states have seen a marked reduction in unpaid bills at their hospitals, which in turn reduces the need for hospitals to pass along some of their costs to taxpayers and people with health coverage. (Mangan, 7/20)