The Idaho Spending Index serves to provide a fiscally conservative perspective on state budgeting while providing an unbiased measurement of how Idaho lawmakers apply these values to their voting behavior on appropriations bills. Each bill is analyzed within the context of the metrics below. They receive one (+1) point for each metric that is satisfied by freedom-focused policymaking and lose one (-1) point for each instance in which the inverse is true. The sum of these points composes the score for the bill.

Analyst: Niklas Kleinworth

Rating: 0

Bill Description: House Bill 754 appropriates $132,400 and 1.00 new full-time positions to the Department of Insurance as a trailer appropriation for House Bill 596 for fiscal year 2025.

Does the budget grow government through the addition of new permanent FTPs or through funding unlegislated efforts to create new or expanded entitlement programs? Conversely, does this budget reduce the size of government staff and programs except where compelled by new legislation?

This legislation adds one new full-time equivalent position and $132,400 to support the Department of Insurance in the management of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). This is in response to new responsibilities granted to the department under House Bill 596. PBMs are third-party administrators that manage the payment of prescription drugs for some health insurance plans. H596 requires more stringent reporting requirements in the way PBMs conduct their business. The additional personnel and associated costs appropriated to the Department of Insurance in H754 are consistent with the fiscal note provided for H596.

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