Idaho would not be part of a federally funded high risk insurance pool for citizens who cannot find health insurance broker due to a preexisting situation. The high risk pools are one of the states early strategy decisions to come from new federal health care laws.  Idaho already has a small high risk pool that would not vary as a result of federal legislation.
Governor Butch Otter informed the U.S. Health and Human Services Department that Idaho will prefer out of a plan to increase the states pool using federal money to wrap people who health insurance companies discarded for coverage due to preexisting situation like tumor and diabetes.Idaho high risk pool, which is run by the Department of Insurance, covers roughly fifteen hundred people, according to Mark Warbis, Otterâ??s communications chief.
The high risk pools backed by the central government are only a temporary measure, programmed to end by 2014 when other health care reforms go into effect.  By opting out, Idaho will force the federal government to generate a separate high risk pool. In absence of us doing it, HHS will still run one here in Idaho under their own administration,� Warbis told . HHS could run the pool itself or could subcontract it to a private insurance provider.  Warbis said Idaho could have received some federal funding to expand the states pool, twenty four million dollar, which would not have been sufficient. Twenty four million dollars would not even come close to covering what the cost of that would be.�
Otter has been a vocal critic of the federal health care legislation since before it was passed in March.

He also endorsed Attorney General Lawrence Wasdenâ??s decision to sign onto a multi-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the lawâ??s requirement that people be required to purchase health insurance.
Warbis said the governor is also opposite to the federal high risk pool because it will send mixed messages to people already enrolled in the states graph. He said people presently in the state pool pay a monthly premium that is 25 % upper than a regular insurance plan, but that the federal pool does not have a higher premium.  It sends a market signal that they are being penalized for doing the right thing, Warbis said. Idaho high risk pool is funded by assessments and premiums insurance dealer.