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Read. Follow. Verify.Idaho Prohibits DEI Conduct and Discriminatory Hiring for Medicaid-Funded Health Care Providers
Last action · March 20, 2026: Take bill off General Orders; referred to Business
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What This Bill Proposed
Idaho House Bill 828 establishes the Merit-Based Health Care Act, prohibiting health care providers participating in the state Medicaid program from engaging in , diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices, or using public funds for public-facing communications promoting DEI. Effective July 1, 2026, providers face civil penalties of up to $100,000 for repeated violations, and health care professionals gain a limited private right of action for retaliation.
Medicaid-participating health care providers and facilities in Idaho must alter employment, contracting, training, and public communication practices to eliminate DEI-related frameworks or face escalating financial penalties, while gaining exposure to worker retaliation lawsuits.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Health care providers
Providers must eliminate prohibited DEI practices and public communications or face compliance audits, contractual breach notices, and financial penalties.
Health care professionals
Employees gain protections against retaliation and a private right of action if penalized for refusing to participate in prohibited DEI conduct.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the law prohibit collecting demographic data for clinical or public health purposes?
What penalties can a larger health care facility face for multiple violations?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
6 actions- Mar 20, 2026CommitteeTake bill off General Orders; referred to Business
- Mar 13, 2026U.C. to be placed on General Orders, no objection
- Mar 13, 2026Read second time; Filed for Third Reading
- Mar 12, 2026Reported out of Committee with Do Pass Recommendation, Filed for Second Reading
- Mar 6, 2026CommitteeReported Printed and Referred to Business
- Mar 5, 2026IntroducedIntroduced, read first time, referred to JRA for Printing
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of State-Level DEI Prohibitions in Healthcare
The bill introduces statutory restrictions tying Medicaid provider agreements and managed care contracts directly to the prohibition of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.idaho.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy85Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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