Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday announced that he named his budget chief Alex Adams to direct the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Adams, who has served as Little’s budget chief since 2019, according to the Idaho Capital Sun, will lead the health department as it navigates several high-profile, controversial issues, including investigations into how the agency allocated funds for child care grants and a needle exchange program, a ballooning Medicaid budget and whether the state should continue to contribute to a health data sharing service.
Adams will begin as Idaho Department of Health and Welfare director June 5.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare is Idaho’s largest state government agency, with about 3,000 employees and a $5.4 billion budget this fiscal year that is mostly federally funded and runs Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women and Infant Children program.
