THERAPY: Cuts to services harmful to Idahoans

Idaho just keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?

Medicaid and some health plans in Idaho are changing how therapy services are covered, including outpatient rehabilitation services like speech, occupational, and physical therapy. New limits and added requirements such as prior authorizations make it harder for people to access ongoing care, which can delay or block medically necessary treatment for many families and individuals.

At the same time, cuts to Medicaid mental health and behavioral health services are underway. These include reduced funding, lower provider pay, and the elimination or scaling back of critical supports such as peer support services and mobile crisis treatment teams for people with serious mental illness. Law enforcement, healthcare providers, and community advocates have warned that these changes reduce access to care and shift the burden to emergency rooms, hospitals, and jails.

These changes affect both children and adults. Therapy — physical, developmental, emotional, and behavioral — is essential healthcare. Access to these services directly impacts quality of life for children, their parents, families, and adults who rely on ongoing support. Limiting care forces many people into impossible choices: paying out of pocket for months or years of treatment, or going without services that support stability, independence, and well-being.

Leaders often say they care about Idaho’s people — but restricting access to essential therapy and mental health services tells a different story.

If this affects you or someone you love, will you continue to support these decisions — or recognize the real harm being done?

SHANELL HUGGINS
Post Falls