Bill reducing income eligibility for refugee assistance heads to full House

BOISE — A bill that would limit income eligibility for Idaho’s Refugee Medical Assistance Program has been forwarded to the House.

Presented by Rep. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, House Bill 199 would add definitions and a new chapter to existing Idaho Code, limiting eligibility and benefits for Refugee Medical Assistance Program participants. The bill would also void all Department of Health and Welfare rules surrounding the program after July 1, 2025, as previously reported by the Idaho Press.

The proposed legislation decreases the income eligibility threshold from 150% of federal poverty guidelines to 133%. The 2025 guidelines are that a single-person household in the contiguous U.S. with an income of $15,650 per year or less may qualify for special assistance.

The program is federally funded and administered by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The agency receives around $1.5 million annually for the program, an IDHW spokesperson told the Idaho Press.

There was no testimony or discussion on the bill in the hearing. Health and Welfare Committee members voted 13-2 in favor of sending HB 199 to the full House, with House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, and Rep. Megan Egbert, D-Boise, voting against it.

Rubel told the Idaho Press that the changes add more difficulty for an already struggling demographic, arguing the federal poverty guidelines are too low to reasonably support anyone.

“The poverty line is set at a level where you could not conceivably pay to have a roof over your head, electricity, food, etc.,” Rubel said. “You can’t dream of supporting yourself on that level, even 133% of that level … much less have money left over to buy very costly health insurance.”

Rubel talked about the experiences of refugees she has spoken to in her own district, addressing the difficulties of obtaining legal refugee status.

“The people who are coming here … it’s unbelievable what they have gone through,” Rubel said. “These are people who have seen their family members murdered in front of them, people who have escaped systematic rape, attacks, violence, maiming, have had their homes burned to the ground. It’s hard to get refugee status. You need to have faced catastrophes in your home country, and they have gone through the necessary paperwork and done whatever it takes to get here.”

The bill now heads to the full House for consideration.

Schwicht may be contacted at newsroom@idahopress.com.