New WWAMI bill introduced, would remove at least 10 seats, look to start new partnership

BOISE — A committee on Wednesday introduced an “alternative” to a previous bill that would have completely withdrawn Idaho from its 53-year partnership with the University of Washington and other western states for medical education.

Rep. Dustin Manwaring, R-Pocatello, presented a new bill to the House Education Committee that would eliminate at least 10 Idaho seats from WWAMI — which stands for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho — and move to add seats in another medical school program.

“I think there's a lot of discussions that we’re going to have in the coming days about these proposals moving forward, and which one makes the most sense for Idaho,” Manwaring said.

Manwaring’s previous proposal, HB 176, would have withdrawn Idaho from WWAMI completely, starting in the 2027-28 academic year.

The University of Washington School of Medicine currently has 40 seats for Idaho students, who complete their first two years of instruction at the University of Idaho campus in Moscow. WWAMI students may then complete their clinical rotations in Idaho or other participating states.

The state spends around $7.8 million on the WWAMI program to support Idaho students.

Under the new proposal, Idaho would support 10 fewer seats through WWAMI and instead support 10 seats “at a medical education other than” WWAMI. The new program would increase 10 students per year until it reaches 30, under the bill.

Manwaring and UI have highlighted the University of Utah as the likely new medical education program. There are currently 10 seats reserved for Idaho students at Utah’s medical school. UI has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Utah school to pursue a larger partnership.

Manwaring also mentioned Brigham Young University's intention to start a medical school or Idaho’s consideration of purchasing the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine.

The bill would also direct the State Board of Education to create a working group to “develop a medical education plan for the state of Idaho.” The plan would be required to address how the plan would reduce the physician shortage in Idaho in conjunction with graduate medical education, “ensure the quality of medical education in Idaho,” maximize amount of state medical education funds spent in Idaho,” maximize clinical rotation placements in Idaho, maximize residency placements in the state, “minimize conflicts with medical education program partners,” and minimize conflicts in delivering coursework from different medical education programs.

Rep. Mark Sauter, R-Coeur d’Alene, said he had concerns about setting up a group to study changing Idaho’s medical education but making decisions about WWAMI ahead of the group being formed.

He had questions about “messing with the WWAMI program at all until we get some traction on a future program.”

Rep. Chris Mathias, D-Boise, agreed with Sauter.

“It would be my preference to wait,” Mathias said. “This committee might come back and say, in order to maximize the number of all these things, we need you to keep what we have and build it out. …. I hope that if the committee comes back and one of their recommendations is repeal this bill, that we listen to them.”

Mathias said all the feedback he has received has been in support of WWAMI and asked who Manwaring was hearing from that was unhappy with the program.

“I think you should talk to some more of your colleagues in this building, for starters, including in the opposite party,” Manwaring said. “... And I’m not afraid to stand here and tell you I am unhappy with WWAMI and what I’ve seen.”

He highlighted that the UW president did not sign an amendment to the contract with the state to ensure Idaho funds would not go toward abortion training until the day a hearing was held on the previous bill to completely remove Idaho from the partnership.

WWAMI graduates and students have rallied against the proposal to withdraw from the program, with many gathering Feb. 21 to urge lawmakers to stay within the program, the Idaho Press previously reported.

Some of those who spoke are instructors at clinical rotation sites, and many said they would not be as willing to put in the extra time to train students from a less-proven, less prestigious medical program. Some said that it took UW 50 years to create the number of clinical instruction sites it has now, and it is unrealistic for a new program to be able to quickly set up enough to build a program.

UW officials have said that the university has been unable to increase the number of Idaho seats in the program — as requested by the state — because of the difficulty of finding enough clinical rotation sites in Idaho.

The committee voted to introduce the bill Wednesday, with only Sauter voting no.