By Christina Lords | Editor-in-Chief
“That’s consistent with Idaho values — that people buy homes and they live in their homes for as long as they can. And home and community-based services allows that to happen. And it would be very sad if Idaho decided to move toward institutionalization versus allowing people to stay in their homes …” - Disability Rights Idaho Executive Director Amy Cunningham
Members of the Idaho Legislature’s Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee and their staff tour Southwest Idaho Treatment Center, or SWITC, in Nampa on Nov. 20, 2024. (Photo by Clark Corbin/Idaho Capital Sun)
HEALTH
As Idaho extends slim budgets and feds shift stance, disability care may face cuts, advocates worry
By Kyle Pfannenstiel
Expanded decades ago, home and community-based services have become a staple for state Medicaid programs.
But as the Trump administration seeks to reinterpret a U.S. Supreme Court decision that serves as a foundation for expanded rights of people with disabilities to receive care in their homes, disability advocates worry that home and community-based services could be threatened. Advocates maintain that the underlying laws requiring home care options remain.
The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee, the Idaho Legislature’s powerful budget committee, meets daily during the legislative session. (Photo by Pat Sutphin for the Idaho Capital Sun)
GOVERNMENT + POLITICS
Idaho state revenue exceeds forecast for July and August
By Clark Corbin
Idaho revenue exceeded the state’s forecast for the month of August by $37.5 million, marking the second consecutive month in the new fiscal year where revenue beat projections, according to a new state report.
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ICYMI
Shining a light on other Idaho politics reporting
Note: Some links may lead to stories behind a news organization's paywall
Boise State Public Radio: Idaho abortion measure groups stockpile cash ahead of early voting
Coeur d’Alene Press: Coeur d'Alene regulates kratom products
Moscow-Pullman Daily News: Latah County passes new rules for data centers
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