BOISE, ID – The Idaho Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to restore Medicaid mental health treatment programs that the state cut to comply with the governor’s order for budget cuts.
In less than three months since an Idaho Medicaid contractor cut a mobile treatment program for people with severe mental illness, four patients died, the Idaho Capital Sun reported. In the 18 months before the cut, providers say just one patient died.
Senate Bill 1446 would spend one-time legal settlement funds to reinstate the mobile treatment program, called the Assertive Community Treatment program, and peer support services, which help people navigate mental health treatment.
Soon after the cuts were announced, providers and the Idaho Sheriffs’ Association warned the cuts would risk public safety, and providers said the cuts would drive up other costs even more. Eastern Idaho crisis centers saw demand spike after the cuts.
Idaho Falls Republican Sen. Kevin Cook cited the patient deaths in his pitch for bringing the programs back.
Since the programs were cut, “we have had four deaths that you can pinpoint directly back to these programs that were done away with,” Cook told senators. “Our sheriffs, our ERs and our courts are dealing with the same individuals over and over again. These are frequent flyers … because this system designed to stabilize them was taken away.”
He said this bill asks a simple question.
“Do we want to pay for crisis, or do we want to prevent it?” Cook said. “And so far, we’ve been paying for crisis.”
The Senate passed the bill without debate on a 23-11 vote. It next heads to the House.
To become law, Idaho bills must pass the House and Senate, and avoid the governor’s veto.
How the bill works
The bill would appropriate funding for the programs for next fiscal year, which starts in July. The programs are also on track to be reinstated this fiscal year if the Department of Health and Welfare transfers enough funding internally.
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesperson AJ McWhorter previously told the Sun that the agency has enough one-time savings to restore the services this fiscal year if JFAC’s bill becomes law.
For next fiscal year, JFAC’s vote allowed the state to spend $4.6 million in tobacco settlement funds and $5.8 million in opioid settlement funds for the programs. The federal government would pay most of the costs to reinstate the programs, paying an estimated $20.5 million out of the total nearly $31 million in costs.
Why a contractor cut the Medicaid programs
State health officials have denied the entire Assertive Community Treatment program was cut, saying services are still available. But some providers say the services that are still available aren’t what the evidence-based program was like, because providers aren’t paid to staff mobile treatment teams.
Fourth patient dies after Idaho cut Medicaid mental health service
The contractor, Magellan, had its pay rate reduced by the Department of Health and Welfare as part of Medicaid provider pay cuts last year, after Gov. Brad Little ordered state budget cuts. Magellan cut the services in December.
The governor’s budget chief, Lori Wolff, previously told the Sun that preventive services are often the first to go when the state faces a budget crunch — because they are one of few options the state has.
In December, the state’s Medicaid director told lawmakers that health officials aren’t sure the cuts will save the state money long-term.
About 200 people in Idaho are on the ACT program, Magellan Healthcare’s Idaho Executive Director David Welsh wrote in a December declaration in response to a federal lawsuit by patients.
Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Idaho Capital Sun maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Christina Lords for questions: info@idahocapitalsun.com.
