JFAC has voted  15-4, along party lines, in favor of a budget for Medicaid for next year that makes all the cuts called for in HB 260, the Medicaid cuts bill that passed the House yesterday. Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, asked to have the service cuts the budget requires described, but Senate Finance Chairman Dean Cameron, R-Rupert, told her, "If you want to debate HB 260, you'll have your chance on the Senate floor - not here." The joint budget committee then voted on the Medicaid budget without any further debate. Crafted by  Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, and Sen. Joyce Broadsword, R-Sagle, the budget, while reflecting $34.5 million in general-fund cuts per HB 260, still grows substantially, largely due to the need to make up for a change in federal matching rates for Medicaid.

It sets a general-fund budget for Medicaid for next year of $436 million, a 46.2 percent, $137.8 million increase from this year. In total funds, the Medicaid budget grows by 16.2 percent to $1.8 billion, but it grows only 3.6 percent in federal funds. Medicaid is the joint federal-state program that covers health care for the poor and disabled; the federal government covers roughly three-quarters of the cost.