Bill Description: House Bill 62 would allow the Department of Health and Welfare to work with the Tax Commission to investigate Medicaid fraud.  

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Does it in any way restrict public access to information related to government activity or otherwise compromise government transparency, accountability, or election integrity? Conversely, does it increase public access to information related to government activity or increase government transparency, accountability, or election integrity?

House Bill 62 would amend Section 56-227, Idaho Code, which deals with fraud, by adding a new subsection allowing the state tax commission and the state department of health and welfare to "enter into a written agreement for exchange of an individual's state income tax return records and information for the purposes of investigating suspected fraud relating to applications for public assistance benefits and public assistance benefits received by individuals or entities."

It would protect individual privacy by requiring that any shared information "be confidential to the recipient and may be used by the state department of health and welfare only for purposes of determining whether any individual or entity has committed a violation of this section."

Investigating Medicaid fraud is an important component of holding government accountable for the money it spends (and redistributes) through one of its largest and most expensive programs.

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