Gov. Otter to let insurers lift some Obamacare requirements

Idaho will let insurers sell private insurance plans with skimpier coverage, taking advantage of new flexibility to change certain Affordable Care Act requirements, Gov. Butch Otter said Friday morning.

Such a move would be aimed at middle-class uninsured Idahoans, including the self-employed. Otter and other officials believe those could include people in Idaho’s insurance gap, who can’t afford insurance but don’t qualify for Obamacare subsidies or Medicaid.

The move was announced at a Friday morning preview of the 2018 legislative session, which starts Monday. Otter and legislative leaders — House Speaker Scott Bedke, Senate Pro Tem Brent Hill, House Minority Leader Mat Erpelding and Senate Majority Leader Michelle Stennett — took questions from the news media at the annual Associated Press Legislative Preview, held at the Capitol in Boise.

Scroll down for more on the Obamacare changes and other highlights from the morning.

Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article193136399.html