Idaho’s share of federal healthcare grants will decrease next year.

The reasons for the reduction are unclear — and it’s too early to know how the cut will affect Idaho programs.

In the second year of the feds’ five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, Idaho will receive close to $182.7 million. Idaho’s first-year grant totaled $185.9 million.

In a news release Monday, Gov. Brad Little’s office announced the Year Two grants — which could have far-reaching implications for K-12 and higher education programs. But the news release made no mention of the reduction.

Little’s office has received no explanation of the reduction, spokeswoman Emily Callihan told EdNews in an email Monday afternoon. The state Department of Health and Welfare had no answers either, spokesman AJ McWhorter said Monday afternoon.

The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not immediately respond to questions from EdNews.

For months, state officials have said Idaho’s healthcare grant could increase — or decrease. The feds set up a competitive program, tying future payments to states’ track records. A state that met the feds’ deadlines and paperwork requirements could receive additional funding, at the expense of states that struggled.

But Idaho met the feds’ Year One deadline. Idaho committed its $185.9 million in grants on Oct. 28, a couple of days ahead of schedule.

More than $25 million of the first-year money will go to education-related programs:

• The biggest chunk, $12.5 million, will go into nearly a dozen “healthcare career advancement track” programs. Most of these projects are cooperative efforts involving two or more colleges and universities. All are designed to support rural students considering careers in healthcare fields.
• Another $8 million will go into fellowships and residencies, placing medical school graduates in rural Idaho.
• The University of Idaho will receive or share an additional $4.8 million in grants, Idaho State University will receive $2 million and Idaho Educational Services for the Deaf and the Blind will receive nearly $900,000 for a mobile pediatric clinic.

Decisions about spending the reduced grant will fall to a state agency in transition — and a legislative committee also facing a shakeup.

Health and Welfare Director Juliet Charron is stepping down later this year. An eight-member legislative committee is overseeing the grants; two committee members, Republican Reps. Dori Healey of Boise and Dustin Manwaring of Pocatello, were ousted in last week’s election.

For Health and Welfare, the work is just getting started.

“The (rural healthcare) program is in the process of reviewing the award and will be working with CMS to update the program’s workplan and budget,” McWhorter said Monday.