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Idaho committee weighs restoring Medicaid behavioral-health services; ACT restart could cost $1.3M–$4.1M
Summary
An interim Idaho legislative committee heard testimony on restoring Medicaid behavioral-health programs cut under recent budget holdbacks, including Assertive Community Treatment, peer support and Healthy Connections; officials outlined costs, federal match rates and operational hurdles and said the panel may reconvene before any spending decision.
An interim legislative committee heard detailed testimony on restoring Medicaid-funded behavioral-health services that were reduced under recent budget holdbacks, including the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, peer-support services and the Healthy Connections pediatric program.
Senator Kevin Cook, Idaho state senator from Legislative District 32, told the committee ACT is an “evidence based program” that deploys a multidisciplinary team—psychologists, doctors and pharmacists—to provide in‑community care for people with severe mental illness. He estimated restarting ACT would cost about $1,300,000 for the remainder of fiscal 2026 and about $4,100,000 for fiscal 2027 and cautioned that personnel and operational ramp‑up would take time because trained staff are not immediately available.
Sasha O’Connell, Medicaid administrator and deputy director at the Department of Health and…
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