The Idaho Medicaid Program serves almost one-quarter of the state's population, and costs continue to grow. In the next fiscal year, the state Medicaid Program has a $2 billion appropriation, representing 17.5 percent of Idaho’s general fund budget. Thirty percent of the program is funded with state dollars, and the rest with federal funds.  

Leslie Clement, deputy director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, will talk to City Club about the challenges associated with controlling Medicaid costs and identify strategies to sustain and improve Medicaid programs. She also take questions from the audience.

Clement is one of three deputy directors at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. She oversees Medicaid, Behavioral Health and Managed Care Services. She will address -- as Idaho slowly emerges from the economic recession -- finding solutions that are focused on patients receiving the right care at the right time.

Prior to her work on Medicaid, Clement worked for the Office of Performance Evaluations in the Idaho Legislative Services Office. Her employment background includes 30 years of project work, policy development and operations management in various health and social service organizations. She received her bachelor's degree in sociology from the College of Wooster, Ohio, and her master's degree in public administration from Portland State University.