The reason Idaho Democrats fight for health care access is the same reason voters value it. It is a matter of life or death, financial stability or bankruptcy, and whether you can work and provide for your family.

The Republican supermajority has been attacking health care access for years, and it is now at a dangerous breaking point. In just a few months, a fourth death has been tied to the elimination of services for people with severe mental illness. The Idaho Hospital Association says it has never been more concerned about rural hospitals closing. And Republicans are once again trying to reverse Medicaid expansion, stripping coverage from 93,000 Idahoans overnight with no affordable replacement.

This mess started with deep revenue cuts, including hundreds of millions in recent giveaways that largely benefit the wealthiest Idahoans. Republican legislators now claim they must close the budget gap by cutting medical care. Instead of owning those choices, they want working families, rural communities, and vulnerable Idahoans to pay the price.

They began by squeezing providers. Even as the cost of care rises, Medicaid reimbursement rates were cut by 4 percent, hitting hospitals, clinics, nursing facilities, and community providers. When rates drop, access drops with them. Providers scale back services, delay new clinics, and consider dropping Medicaid patients altogether.

Then came caps on physical, speech, and occupational therapy for Medicaid patients. For children in therapy and those who are seriously injured, that can force treatment to end before recovery is complete.

One GOP proposal would cut another $22 million from Medicaid through residential rehabilitation rate reductions. These services help people stay safe and avoid crises. Cutting them does not reduce need. It leads to worse outcomes, higher costs, and more strain on families and communities.

Idaho Democrats reject this agenda. Lawmakers can make responsible budget choices without gutting health care. Families should be able to get care before they reach a breaking point. Rural communities deserve functioning hospitals and stable providers. The will of voters who enacted Medicaid expansion should matter more than the ideological crusade of Republican lawmakers who lost this debate and still refuse to let it go.

Recently, every Democrat joined enough Republicans in the Senate to reject the health and human services budget for the coming year, which included across-the-board reductions to Medicaid, mental health services, child welfare, and other core programs. That vote created a chance to stop deeper cuts before they do more harm.

Lawmakers can keep dismantling care and pushing families closer to the edge, or they can protect health care, respect the will of the voters, and choose a budget that puts people ahead of ideology. Idaho Democrats know which side we are on.

Onward,

Lauren Necochea
Idaho Democratic Party Chair