Should Idaho use rural health money to train more doctors?

Should Idaho use rural health money to train more doctors?

Idaho officials are debating whether to use Rural Health Transformation funds to expand medical residency and education programs, with some lawmakers raising concerns about future state costs.

Could Uncle Sam's money cure Idaho's physicians' shortage? Not necessarily.

Idaho has the most acute doctors’ shortage in America — and $186 million in fresh-from-Uncle-Sam federal healthcare grants. Problem solved, right? Not necessarily. After a legislative hearing Wednesday, it’s not clear how much of Idaho’s $186 million would go into medical education and the expansion of a patchwork of partnerships with medical schools in the region. Idaho universities have a stake in the outcome, since they would benefit from exp…