Idaho Families Defend Disability Services Amid Medicaid Budget Cuts

Proposed cuts to optional Medicaid services could upend lives of Idahoans with disabilities and their families

Mar. 3, 2026 at 8:13pm

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Families of Idahoans with disabilities say their lives could be upended as lawmakers in Idaho's Republican-dominated Legislature consider sweeping cuts to Medicaid services, including 24/7 care, in-home caregiving, and private duty nursing. The cuts are being proposed to balance the state budget, which has been impacted by federal tax cuts and increasing Medicaid costs. Families warn the cuts could force their loved ones with disabilities into more costly institutional care.

Why it matters

The proposed Medicaid cuts in Idaho highlight the challenges facing people with disabilities and their families across the country as states grapple with budget shortfalls. Cutting optional Medicaid services like home- and community-based care could force many people with disabilities into more expensive institutional settings, despite a Supreme Court ruling requiring states to provide community-based care when appropriate.

The details

Idaho Gov. Brad Little, a Republican, has proposed cutting $22 million from Medicaid to balance the state budget. Home- and community-based services such as caregiving, nursing, and residential rehabilitation are on the table for potential cuts, even though these services are considered optional under Medicaid. Families say the cuts could be catastrophic, forcing them to either provide intensive around-the-clock care themselves or place their loved ones in nursing homes that are not equipped to properly care for them. The cuts come as Idaho is expected to lose $3 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade due to the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

  • In September 2025, Idaho implemented a 4% across-the-board reimbursement cut for medical providers' work with Medicaid patients.
  • In February 2026, Idaho Gov. Brad Little proposed an additional $22 million in Medicaid cuts, including to optional home- and community-based services.

The players

Brad Little

The Republican governor of Idaho who has proposed cutting $22 million from Medicaid to balance the state budget.

Amber Grant

The mother of a 19-year-old with cerebral palsy who receives Medicaid-funded in-home private duty nursing care, which could be impacted by the proposed cuts.

Toni Belknap-Brinegar

The mother of a 26-year-old with severe brain damage who relies on Medicaid-funded in-home caregivers, which could be impacted by the proposed cuts.

Ned Fowkes

The father of a 39-year-old with severe cerebral palsy who lives in a Medicaid-funded supported living home, which could be impacted by the proposed cuts.

Kim Musheno

The senior director of Medicaid policy at The Arc, a national disability rights organization, who says states often target optional Medicaid services when facing budget pressures.

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What they’re saying

“Whenever there's pressure on state budgets like those that are caused by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, they go after Medicaid, and then they go after optional services.”

— Kim Musheno, Senior Director of Medicaid Policy, The Arc

“The reality is that any of us at any point in time could become disabled. What kind of quality of care would we want?”

— Amber Grant

“Without the services that he has and the care that he gets now, he would end up in a care center, and frankly, he would die.”

— Toni Belknap-Brinegar

“I don't know what we would do. Eventually we'd lose our home. We would be bankrupt. Where would Eva go? Where would her roommate go? Who would care for them?”

— Ned Fowkes

What’s next

The Idaho Legislature's budget committee will finalize the proposed Medicaid cuts in the coming weeks. Families of Idahoans with disabilities are urging lawmakers to reconsider the cuts and find alternative ways to balance the state budget.

The takeaway

The proposed Medicaid cuts in Idaho underscore the difficult choices states face as they grapple with budget shortfalls, and the real-world impact those decisions can have on the lives of people with disabilities and their families. As states across the country confront similar pressures, this story highlights the importance of preserving critical community-based services and ensuring people with disabilities can access the care they need to live independently.