Margie Gonzalez, the executive director of the Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs, addresses the audience at a legislative reception on January 14, 2025. (Mia Maldonado / Idaho Capital Sun)
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While many Idahoans have regained access to Medicaid since the program began unwinding in April 2023, the number of Idaho Hispanic Medicaid enrollees has not recovered, according to a new report.
The Idaho Commission on Hispanic Affairs released its “Hispanic Statewide Healthcare Plan” on Tuesday during a legislative reception. The report, created in partnership with Boise State University’s Idaho Policy Institute and funded by the Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health, outlines the health disparities impacting Idaho’s Hispanic community.
In November, Medicaid enrollment among Idaho Hispanics was approximately 35,000, a decline of nearly 8,500 from March 2023, when enrollment stood at 43,400.
Margie Gonzalez, the executive director of the commission, said the goal of the report is to share data with state and national stakeholders.
“Businesses are wanting to come into Idaho, but they want to know what the Latino community is before they move their business,” she said. “They contact our office for data all of the time.”
The data from the report is a snapshot of some of the health care challenges Hispanics in Idaho face, Gonzalez said.
“We have a lot of challenges and there’s a lot of work to be done, but unless we have the data how do we know where to start?” Gonzalez said.
Report highlights CHIP, insurance and death rates among Idaho Hispanics
In April 2023, states were allowed to start removing people from Medicaid following the end of a three-year federal pause on disenrollments implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of last April, 40,000 Idahoans of the 185,000 who were initially disenrolled had regained Medicaid coverage, the Idaho Capital Sun previously reported. Idaho’s Hispanic community, however, has not seen the same recovery rates, the report shows.
Enrollment among Hispanic children in the Child Health Insurance Program has also dropped significantly. There were about 10,000 children enrolled in the program before Medicaid began unwinding in March 2023. That number was down to 5,800 in November.
“Some of that decline is from incomes changing, but it was reported that 70% of individuals that were unenrolled from Medicaid during this time period were due to administrative issues,” Idaho Policy Institute Research Associate Maria Onaindia said at the reception. “… We can see this has a particular impact on the Hispanic community.”
The report shows Idaho counties like Elmore and Blaine have experienced a more significant decline in enrollment for Hispanic children and adults.
Other key findings show from the report show:
- Higher uninsured rates: About 18.6% of Idaho Hispanics are uninsured, compared to 10.9% of the overall state population.
- Average age in death: The average age of death for Hispanic individuals in Idaho is 61.5, compared to 74.2 for non-Hispanic Idahoans.
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