Medicaid Cuts Clear Senate

Legislation to cut $35 million from state Medicaid funding has passed the Idaho Senate, clearing its final hurdle in the 2011 session.  The measure cuts a total of $108 million, due to lost federal matching funds. The cuts have been debated at length. But lagging revenue, coupled with a reluctance to raise taxes in Idaho's Republican-dominated Legislature, has necessitated further cuts to the health care program for poor and disabled to help balance the state budget. Democratic Senator Dan Schmidt of Moscow argued slashing Medicaid was like saving money on a car by not changing the oil, saying: "We will pay more later." Republican Senator Joyce Broadsword of Sagle countered that Idaho could no longer afford "a Cadillac" when it came to Medicaid, saying: "We can pay for a Chevy."