Idaho Bills

Adds to existing law to establish the Merit-Based Health Care Act.

The Merit-Based Health Care Act amends Title 56 of Idaho Code to require that Medicaid-funded employment and contracting decisions be based solely on merit, professional qualifications, and clinical competency. It prohibits discriminatory hiring and specified DEI practices—such as race- or sex-based preferences, mandatory bias training, and ideological pledges—while preserving exemptions for federal civil rights compliance, clinical data collection, and accredited medical training. Compliance is made a material condition of Medicaid participation, enforced by the Attorney General through civil penalties, with a limited private right of action for professionals facing retaliation.