Bill Description: House Bill 84 would grow the Office of Government Insurance by allowing cities to join its health insurance pool. 

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Does it create, expand, or enlarge any agency, board, program, function, or activity of government? Conversely, does it eliminate or curtail the size or scope of government?

House Bill 84 would amend Section 67-5767, Idaho Code, which details which government entities may participate in the health insurance pool administered by the Office of Government Insurance. The bill would add cities (meaning city governments) to this list, potentially adding thousands of new employees to this government-managed health insurance pool. Because this is a voluntary pool, there will be selection. Only cities that can save money (likely meaning they are a higher risk) will opt to join the pool. This happened when the pool was expanded to allow public schools to join, and it tended to increase the overall costs.

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Does it transfer a function of the private sector to the government? Examples include government ownership or control of any providers of goods or services such as the land board’s purchase of a self-storage facility, mandatory emissions testing, or pre-kindergarten. conversely, does it eliminate a function of government or return a function of government to the private sector?

Currently, city governments have multiple options for insuring their employees. Larger cities might opt to self-insure, but others may obtain insurance from the private sector. Expanding the scope of the state-administered health insurance pool to allow cities to participate would compete with existing market insurance providers.

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