Editorial: In the event of an Economic Downturn, the State of Idaho will cut Medicaid again

Mark Reinhardt- Boise Idaho I was one of many people with Disabilities who testified at the Idaho State Legislature during the Medicaid Matters initiative in 2012. What I eventually figured out during the process of my testimony was that the Legislature was going to do whatever they wanted regardless of the desires we expressed in our testimony. It was from there, I figured, Corporations mattered more than those who were on Medicaid. The Legislature at the time was looking to pass House Bill 260 that would cut Medicaid funding to Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Developmental Therapy Services. When it did go into law, the resulting action, was the Federal Government told them to fix the situation or lose Federal Funds. The reality is, without safeguards for people with Disabilities on Medicaid, they will be forced to bear the brunt of Legislative budgeting decisions. Most decisions made in the State of Idaho are to the benefit of wealthy Corporations at the expense of the average person. This ultimately includes those who are living in poverty. One need, only look at, the tax receipt collections from the Idaho Tax Commission. As of November 2022, Individual Income Tax Collections were shown to be $171,571,658.76; whereas Corporate Income Tax Collections were shown to be $26,879,610.94. I am sure there are those in the Statehouse who do care about the average person, but those are few and far between. We will see what the new crop of State Legislators will do in such events. What needs to happen; yet will likely not happen, is an increase in corporate taxes to fund social services. This should be the solution instead of relying on the average taxpayer to fund programs to help people with Disabilities stay in the community. I am certain investing in a trained care provision workforce, will provide for a better-quality service, with the use of increased corporate taxes. Not everyone with Disabilities is a drain on society, there are those who do want to contribute, they just need a little assistance. It may just take time to learn the skills we need to be a part of the community. https://tax.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/reports/EPB00073/EPB00073_11-30-2022.pdf