Welcome to Unlimited Parenting. I'm Allison,
and with me today is, of course, my partner in
crime, Melissa Vian. I got a last name today.
You got a last name. Frequently, I don't give
you a last name because I don't want people stalking
you on Facebook. Well, I'm not on there anymore,
so good luck. Today is a very special episode,
and I know I say that about all the episodes,
but I really like this one. Not that I don't
like the other ones. Oh, God. We are doing a
deep dive into the 2025 Idaho with some federal
sprinkled in legislative session. It was a whirlwind.
It was 12 weeks, give or take a week. We've already
determined that I'm not good at math. It was
a long time. It was very long. It was too long.
And I think, quite honestly, that the congressmen
would agree with us that it was too long. We
all agree. Yeah, I bet. i was gonna say that
might be something we agree on that might be
it that might be the one that might be it full
of bills that directly affect education healthcare
disability services family choice and this is
probably a good time to mention that there are
a lot of bills that were covered this session
that we're not going to get to there was like
400 500 in the house And then there were Senate
bills. There's some on housing. There's some
on grocery credits. We're not going to cover
those today, though. But what I hear you saying
is we are going to cover what maybe affected
the families which we serve. Listen, if it impacted
me, I'm going to talk about it. Sounds good.
I just have a request. This is not TRL live.
It kind of is. Wait. Can you put in I'm a bill.
I'm a bill. Because it just every time you said
that bill. I'm just a bill. Yes. And I'm something.
And I just don't think that the youth of the
now know that like we do. You don't think so?
I don't know. You're a youth and you sort of
know it. I am not a youth. Anyway. But thank
you for saying that. When we were prepping for
this, I just kept envisioning that little dancing
bill. The little dancing guy? I will tell you,
though, whether you're an educator or a parent
or just a layman of any sort, you're going to
get something out of this podcast today. Cool.
OK, well, if you don't care, I'll go first. I
don't. So I'm going to talk about health care.
If it impacted health care, I'm going to try
to be comprehensive and dial into it all. If
I missed anything, please feel free to let me
know in the comments. I'm always looking to grow
of that growth mindset. So much of what happened
in this session was related to Medicaid. I feel
like everything was potentially. Do you just
want me to come back? Yeah, this will take about
45 minutes. You go back. I'll be back. So even
in week one, right, like everything. So federally,
CMS was accepting comment at the beginning of
the legislative season for the amendment that
would remove the ability for parents, spouses
to be paid caregivers. Because remember, I mean,
I know you remember. I do. For the audience,
that was something that was provided to Idahoans
during the pandemic, was the flexibility to be
your child, to be your spouse's personal caregiver
and be paid for it. Are there other states that
do this? Yes. But we, as Idahoans, are looking
to not continue that. Correct. Essentially what
I'm saying is it's in flux. Please hold for more
information. So we saw that at the beginning
of the season. Yeah. But that was not the end.
Ladies and gentlemen, hold on tight. Okay. So
there were a lot of Medicaid bills. Like I said,
you might not hear yours. You might not hear
the one that you were hoping for. But if not.
pop off in the comments. First, we saw House
Bill 58, which was a proposed law that would
end Idaho's Medicaid expansion program. Ultimately,
we sifted through a lot of bills to get to the
one that we liked. So Medicaid expansion, just
as a level setter, is what allowed more adults.
especially those with low income but without
disabilities or children, to get health care
coverage through Medicaid. And this means that
adults who qualified for Medicaid only qualified
because of Medicaid expansion. So based on income
alone, they wouldn't be eligible otherwise. They
would be losing their health care coverage. And
I want to remind everyone who maybe is like me
and potentially blacked out in 2018 that Medicaid
expansion was voted for. I don't I honest to
God, I don't remember doing this. I don't remember
voting for this. I remember the push. It was
a real grassroots effort. I'm older than you.
So, yeah, you were not that much older than me.
2018, I had my last kid. But see, that's where
I think. OK, I think that's where you were in
the thick of it. Right. You were you had. What,
three kids under three at that point? So blacking
out in 2018 is probably just how I survived.
Yeah, it was. Well, in case. But yes, I do remember
it. It was a huge grassroots effort. It was an
initiative that was put on the ballots by Idaho
people, I believe. Yes. Right? Okay. Yes. I do
remember. I can't remember if it was Prop 1 or
Prop 2, but I blacked out. So if in case you
were like me, Medicaid expansion was voted for
by Idahoans in 2018 and it started in 2020. It
allowed adults ages 19 to 64 without disabilities,
without dependents to get Medicaid based only
on income. Any adult making up to about $20 ,783
per year. or $43 ,000 for a family of four. I'd
say Medicaid expansion doesn't directly affect
children with disabilities because they're not
really in that population outright. It does affect
them because the people who support them, the
direct support to the children with disabilities
is potentially being affected because the people
who are on Medicaid expansion are often those
community support workers. Our direct care workforce,
right? Exactly. Okay. So as you can imagine,
House Bill 58 did not pass. So we saw House Bill
138, which imposed new conditions for Medicaid
expansion. It doesn't outright ban it. It's saying
that if just one of these 11 specific conditions
aren't met, Medicaid expansion would be repealed.
So a lot of what you're going to hear is work
or volunteer requirements, but I'll read all
of these 11 to you. Please, if you're listening
to this for the first time and this is all new
information for you, House Bill 138 did not pass.
Number one, keep federal funding at 90%. So if
the federal government lowered its reimbursement
or its share, Idaho is going to end the program.
And the reason that that is key, the reason that
that is crucial is because there's a lot of talk
at the federal level about making cuts to Medicaid
or amending Medicaid funding. Idaho has a 90
-10 match. Federally, they pay 90. Idaho pays
10. If that were to change, Medicaid expansion
is repealed. Number two, require participants
to work or volunteer at least 20 hours per week.
unless they are children, seniors, pregnant,
caring for a child with a disability in recovery.
Number three, offer private insurance instead
of Medicaid for people over the poverty line,
but let them choose. Number four, limit enrollment
to 50 ,000 people or the same number as seniors
and people with disabilities currently in Medicaid,
whichever is fewer. Number five, keep errors
under 5%. Number six, stop. auto -renewing Medicaid
without checking updated info. Number seven,
limit coverage to 36 months per lifetime for
this group. Number eight, check eligibility every
six months, not just every year, twice a year.
Number nine, allow hospitals to do quick approvals,
aka presumptive eligibility for kids and pregnant
women, not adults. Number 10, Ban using Medicaid
funds for certain procedures or services that
the state does not support, such as abortion
services or gender affirming care. Number 11.
Finally, number 11. You've made it. Ban using
funds for gender reassignment surgery for adults
or treatment. Did not pass. Another bill that
did not pass. And you may be thinking to yourself,
why are you telling me all of these if they did
not pass? And the reason. We are putting you
through this. Again? Again. You're putting me
through this again? Again. Okay. It's because
it really helps you understand why what did pass
did pass. How did we get here? What did we turn
down to get to where we are today? House Bill
328 did not pass either. Another Medicaid reform
bill dropped earlier proposals that tied changes
to Medicaid expansion repeal, offering a slightly
gentler alternative. Again, did not pass. And
drumroll, please. Dun, dun, dun. Or maybe more
like dun, dun, dun. Dun, dun, dun. Yeah. Depending
on which way you. Yeah. House Bill 345, also
known as a Medicaid Reform and Cost Containment
Act. This bill, now signed into law, this one
was the winner, shifts the state toward managed
care. So MCOs, managed care organizations, handing
more authority to private insurance companies.
This bill is a major change to how Medicaid decisions
are made in Idaho. It says that Idaho lawmakers,
a .k .a. the legislator, must give approval before
the state can make changes to its Medicaid program.
So previously in the before times, DHW. W could
make changes to some programs. Obviously, there
are some programs that might need CMS approval.
Obviously, there are some other hoops, but they
did not meet. The legislature always approves
their budgets. They always have. They always
will. But in the four time, they did not need
the legislature because they are not through
no fault of their own. They are not expected
to be as educated as DHW on the Department of
Health and Welfare. Excuse me. The Department
of Health and Welfare is DHW. They're not as
educated as them on some of the services and
supports and the why. And they don't have the
data and on and on and on. But now. Now the legislature
gets to. OK, yeah, I think you understand what
I'm trying to put down here. Previously, the
Idaho Department of Health and Welfare could
make updates like adding services or changing
how Medicaid works more independently. This bill
takes away that flexibility. Some of it. And
puts lawmakers in control of most of it. The
big changes. I pull Idaho Parents Unlimited.
That's us. Testified. Also, our executive director
was the testify or the testee. I don't. I don't.
Angela Lindig. And she asked for assurances that
the disability community would have a seat at
the table. And bless Melissa Wintrow, Senator
Melissa Wintrow, who said repeatedly that she
would involve the disability community. Not that
any of the other senators or representatives
expressed that outright, but I did get the impression
that they all agreed. I would agree. You guys
showed up, too. Oh, my word. There were so many
people. And I think that we saw how testimony
has changed since COVID because we had people
all across the state being able to provide testimony
remotely. But we were packing those hearing rooms
and we had people providing in -person testimony,
written testimony, emailed testimony. You're
right. People showed up. People showed up and
they showed out. When you mess with someone's
health care. yeah people tend to show up and
show out another thing that this may impact is
some cost sharing which is a little bit more
into the weeds because you can never be charged
more than five percent of your income so it might
be on a sliding scale it's typically i think
three dollars and 64 cents for some things Please
stay tuned for more information. We don't know
how this all is shaken down still, kind of. Exactly.
We were there. We testified. We'll continue to
monitor how these changes could affect access,
cost sharing, and eligibility for our children
with disabilities. Federally, like I mentioned
as a little teaser about 13 minutes ago, a proposed
$800 billion in cuts. I'm laughing. Largely expected
to impact Medicaid has raised some alarms while
no specific programs have been made. I want to
make that clear. Advocates, including Idaho Parents
Unlimited, including Idaho Voices for Children,
including Idaho Anti -Trafficking, including
the Council on Developmental Disabilities, including,
I mean, who have I missed here? Everybody was
there. It was our Centers for Independent Living.
I mean. Everybody, everybody, everybody was there
on March 20th at the Capitol steps at an event
called Protect Medicaid. And I think that some
people may have thought that that had something
to do with House Bill 345 just because they were
so close together. But I want everyone, you know,
I'm setting this rumor. I'm laying it down. I'm
putting it to bed once and for all. That was
that was in regards to the federal. Yeah. $880
billion in cuts. One final note before I shut
my mouth and I let Melissa discuss some of the
educational pieces. Our director of health and
welfare, as if we needed more change, has been
nominated to a federal role. Good for him. Everybody
loves a promotion. Yeah. Good on you, Alex Adams.
We do not, as of this recording. Today is May
the 5th. You should be hearing this on or near
Lord Willin and the Crick Don't Rise the 15th
of May. As of right now, I do not know who his
replacement would be, but I do know. But they
could influence how Idaho services operate moving
forward because Alex Adams made quite a change.
Yeah, he did. The department became the one department
and everything went through him. So there were
a lot of changes with Alex Adams. So before I
close, I just want to say there's there's no
certainty. There's not. I don't have a lot of
stability to provide you right now. Hold on tight.
Keep your eyes and ears open. And now I'm going
to pass it off to Melissa for some education.
OK. So thank you for that health care. You are
so welcome. So now we're going to switch to schools.
While this session was very, very health care
driven, it also was very heavily educationally
driven. We saw school choice. We saw student
safety. We saw a lot of funding bills coming
coming through the legislature. OK, so we're
going to kind of break it down. So House Bill
93, that was our tax choice, our Idaho parental
tax credit. That passed both chambers and it
was signed into law that gave or gives up to
$5 ,000 per child, $7 ,500 for kids with disabilities.
So this is going to families who are not enrolled
in public or charter schools to be that offset
for private tuition, tutoring or those educational
costs. That flew through. It flew through probably
because it was really heavily, you know, a push
from our current administration from the federal
level, too. Yeah. So next. Can I just add one
more thing? Thank you. It's your podcast. Is
this the one where we even saw people come in
from other states to provide testimony? Arizona,
right? Arizona. So someone from Arizona came
to Idaho and provided testimony on how this credit,
how it worked in their state and how they loved
it and how it's done just great things. Yes.
So. So this isn't something Idaho came up with
in a dream or it wasn't like a shower thought.
This is something that other states with or without
success, I might add, have done in their. Yes.
States. OK. Thank you. I believe Idaho is kind
of middle of the road when we're in terms of
these vouchers, these schools. OK. OK. I don't
know. And I don't like and I don't know if we're
the 30th state. I don't know where we're at,
but I know there are. Quite a few other states
were going this route. This isn't this isn't
our idea. No, this wasn't our idea. OK, so we'll
move on from that. So then we saw Senate Bill
1096 and that introduced some weighted per student
funding. So what that means is that schools get
more support for families or for students who
have greater need. Right. My student require
my my 15 year old student costs more to educate
than his 11 year old brother. That's just how
it is. English language learners, kids with disabilities,
alternate educational setting students, those
cost a little bit more. And this is something
we can definitely get behind. Hands down. 100%.
100%. Schools should get more money for these
specific pupils. 100%. We know they require more
instruction, individualized approaches sometimes
that it's more than a typical student requires.
Right. Absolutely. We are 100 % can get behind
that. So then we move on to student safety. So
we have a few bills that kind of touch and address
that. So House Bill 5 set up behavioral threat
assessment and management. So are they, is it
B -T -A -M? Are we calling it B -T -A -M? I haven't
heard it referenced out loud yet. So it could
be anything. B to the T to the A to the M. I
don't know. I don't know if it's. It could be
anything. So those are behavioral threat assessment
and management teams. Those teams, their purpose
is to identify potential threats. As parents
of children with disabilities, we should very
much pay close attention to how these teams are
operating, especially in the educational setting,
so that we ensure fairness for all of our students,
legal protections at IDEA. gives to our students
every student has the right to a free and appropriate
education right so we don't want to in have some
unintended consequences that would potentially
remove some students from that educational setting
this bill did not pass but it what it did is
very much set the stage for house bill 236 so
speaking of house bill 236 let's just talk about
that so house bill 236 um Allows schools to deny
enrollment or attendance to students with disruptive
behavior, with past expulsions, with criminal
history. What I want to say is in this testimony,
we absolutely saw parent voice matter. We saw
parent voice be able to change the structure
and the flow of how this bill was written so
that it did not have unintended consequences.
There were some sections of this. bill that needed
to be moved accordingly so that we didn't essentially
we voice parent voice moved some amendments to
this bill so that it had some protective language
in it and this bill passed and was signed by
the governor on the 31st of march and i think
that that was what was so powerful is that a
lot of times and i know everyone's testimony
is so personal and it's so individualized but
the effect that it has when someone comes with
hey this is a problem but here is here's a potential
solution the way that those um committee members
their ears just open and their eyes zoomed in
they're like oh okay so you you think that if
we just made you like this bill or i mean you
you don't like automatically oppose it you're
saying okay i hear you but you got to make this
one small change and then it will protect students
with disabilities better and once they heard
that they were like Let's do it. Let's do it.
Yeah, I'm not against that. So we we came to
the table in a bipartisan way, which was so great
to see. And that is exactly it was collaboration
at its finest. Exactly. preemptively removed
unintended consequences so that we didn't have
to come back next session and open this bill
up again and say, or, you know, do another bill.
Exactly. We don't want to see this again, right?
We got it before it even was signed into law
so that we didn't have to even mess with those
unintended consequences. 100%. I guess at the
end of the day, parents looking at the language
and structure of how a bill is written, it made
all the difference in this case. Good job, parents,
who testified and were really the driving forces
behind that. We're proud of you. Shout out to
you, Laura Walls, Brittany Shipley, and a couple
of other people whose names are finally slipping
my brain after I had them memorized for this.
I'm so sorry. You made it. You did the work.
All right. So let's go on to House Bill 75. That
really aimed at creating a new funding system
to help public districts that needed... desperate
repairs, remodeling to their school facilities,
but only if they could prove that they really,
really needed that help. This was kind of a state
level emergency fund for schools that have those
serious facility problems. However, did not pass.
And I think we all amongst this. I think we've
all been to a school where we're like, oh, my
word, they could use some support. They could
use. Asbestos in the walls, mold, lead paint.
And this is kind of one of those. This was one
of those bills that if it would pass, it's that
emergency level when the bonds and levies don't
work, when we can't get the community support
there. But we are in a dire situation. Moving
on. Senate Bill 1032, which states that by December
31st of 2025, every Idaho public school must.
Create a clear policy about how students can
use phones and devices during the school day
on school property. So this Senate bill required
that schools or districts limit device use during
class time and school hours. Nobody's against
that. Nope. And focus on reducing distractions
in the learning environment. So think, you know,
texting during class, checking your Insta, any
of those. Snapping. You're Snapchatting, right?
That's not a... Bad thing. No, nobody's nobody's
against that. And I can tell you, my son, my
senior son's school district implemented this
policy this year. I don't know if it was that
or if he just finally clicked, but his effort
and his grades have made a complete turnaround.
And I don't know if it's just that, but it couldn't
have hurt anything. Yeah, it obviously lended
a helping hand. Right. Yes. So schools were not
required to ban cell phones completely. They
could if they chose to. Some districts did take
that upon themselves. Schools, you know, we wouldn't
be the Parent Training and Information Center
if we didn't say schools are allowed to include
exceptions into their policies. Students with
IEPs or potentially 504s, there are some students
who need access to devices. If students have
type 1 diabetes and have a Dexcom, they need
their device for that reading purposes. And we
saw that, right? We did. We have several students
who use phones as a communication device. And
those needed to be allowed into, you know, written
into IEPs, written into 504s, so that they kind
of were. allowed to not skirt the policy but
they were allowed approved devices within this
so that they could access their free and appropriate
public education exactly exactly um so Not everything
passed. We did see House Bill 291, which we really,
really wanted to pass. Is that the high needs?
That is our high needs. Oh, my God. This just
hurts me even. It literally brings me physical
pain to talk about this. I know. Because these
are our students. And I will also say, after
having made that comment, that this was very
highly debated. Like, the legislature really
put the time in for this. They did. And we came
so close. It failed by just one vote. It was
heartbreaking. Yeah. However, I guess it tells
us that we are so close and we just need more
education because I really think that that's
what it came down to. I would agree. So many
of the legislators are saying, well, we're giving
you money. We've done this. We've done this.
And it's it's just explaining and educating exactly
who this fund would be. beneficial for? Because
that's what it was, right? If you had a student
who... It really is truly for those smaller,
more rural districts that have potentially a
student that is expensive. I mean, for example,
if you had a student that was maybe blind and
needed all of their materials to be accessible
in Braille, that costs the district a lot of
money. Or if you had a student that requires
one to one support or maybe skilled nursing,
if they're a very medically fragile student.
So for that student to be able to access their
free and appropriate education, it costs a lot
to be able to send them to school. And you can
see where in a rural district that would potentially
bankrupt them. And so that's what this cost,
this high cost fund was to. to proportionately
help out some districts that may have students
that are higher, higher cost than others. High
cost, high need. And like you said, though, I
think it really was education because there was
one point where I believe it was Debbie Critchfield,
the superintendent of public instruction for
Idaho, who was trying to. Just really paint the
picture of what a student like this might look
like and what they might mean, kind of like you
just did. And the representative, I can't remember
who it is now. I do know it was a gentleman who
said that a student can't really cost $100 ,000
a year. And, you know, Debbie Critchfield was
like. Absolutely a student. And he was flabbergasted.
His flabbers were gassed. His jaw was on the
floor. So I think you're right. I think it's
just kind of letting people know that these children,
they deserve an education. And yes, they are
more expensive. And it's not every student. Correct.
These are very one off scenarios. And that's
why this was I believe it was a three million
dollar ask to just create a fund. And obviously
districts were going to have to show that need.
It wasn't going to just be everybody got. Twenty
dollars as you know, it was going to have to
be applied for and received based on the on the
need of the district. And it's not a child's
fault for being born in Priest River versus being
born in Boise. You know what I mean? It's our
job to support every child in Idaho, regardless
of where. Yeah. So I guess this one gives me
a little bit of hope that next year with a little
bit more education, hopefully this is one that
we're. That's such a good point. That's such
a good point. I'm trying to be positive. I think
it's warranted, too, because we were so close.
Okay. I have one more thing. Federally, you talked
about a federal sprinkle. A little rain. Federally,
that brings us to a federal executive order that
maybe you might have seen in the headlines, the
ending to the radical indoctrination of K -12
schools. So that aims to prevent schools from
teaching children to view themselves as victims
or oppressors or to question gender identity
without involving their parents. And so while
some interpretations vary, it really underscores
how education is, again, at the front. Of so
many. And people have so many thoughts. So many
thoughts about education. So many opinions. And
I think that that's what the federal level is
trying to do. They're trying to say, hey, everyone
has a lot of feelings about education. Let's
send it back to the states. Let's let the states
be in control. And I think that a lot of people
also don't conceptualize the fact that it was
always kind of at the states. The federal was
just kind of saying, make sure. That Title I
is followed. Make sure that 504 is implemented.
Make sure that the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act is being followed. They were more
kind of an overseer, like a compliance officer.
For sure. And a lot of the conversations that
we've had this legislative season, I think that
that is what has surprised people the most. When
you talk about, you know, sending it back to
the states, people are kind of scared and nervous.
But it sort of has already happened that way.
It's already kind of. And it's been that way
for a very long time. And I can attest to that.
And I know that a lot of people are going to
relate to this story. But I spent some time in
Washington, D .C., which you might know is across
the country. I spent three years there. And then
I moved back here. And when I moved back here,
I, as a junior, had to be in some freshman classes
because they're required in Idaho and they were
not required in Maryland. Because Idaho set.
Because it's Idaho standards. So, I mean, it's
something that's always kind of been that way.
But if you're not. moving states or in that life.
You're not thinking about all those things. So
stick a fork in it. We're done. That's me. Education.
It's just education. No Becky. It's just education.
No Becky. So we did health care. We did education.
There's just a few. You wish. You wish. There's
just a few more things I want to bring to everyone's
attention. Another huge win is house build. 26,
which updated Idaho's ABLE account program. So
this allows us as a state to partner to cut costs.
So before in the before times. You would have
to get like a Chase account or something like
that to get an ABLE account. Had to be like a
federal. You tell me more about that. You know
more. Yeah, it just Idaho didn't have any recognized
banking institutions. So you had to either you
had to kind of go outside of the state. Idaho
wasn't recognizing them. So, yeah, our account
is our my son's ABLE account is through. chase
it just makes it easier to access yeah it is
easier to access now which is a huge one and
i don't know and and maybe i need to find this
out like are our credit unions now capable is
this i think so okay i think so too i think so
but i'm not i mean the the state independent
living council is is yeah your link your dac
your life yep those are our people sounds like
a whole bunch of hashtags And also we celebrated
annually, like we always do, Fred Riggers Disability
Awareness Day on February 5th. It's just an incredible
chance every year for families to speak directly
with lawmakers, for families to talk to Link,
to talk to Life, to talk to DAC, to talk to Disability
Rights Idaho. All of us are there. I always love
hearing Fred's daughter speak. Oh, my gosh. Yes.
And every year she has a new story about Fred
and how he just came to the Capitol and thought,
I'm doing this. I am now a person with a disability
and I have the time and the space and I'm going
to talk to my legislators and I'm going to tell
them what it's like. And the DD Council is always,
they're right there. No. Yeah. It was good this
year. It was. It was really good this year. So
what do you take away from the 2025 season? What
do you take away from the session? Let me tell
you. Let me tell you. I'm going to make it sound
like a question, but it's really just a way for
me to just interject this statement right here.
And then I want to know. What do you take away?
Medicaid? Changing. Education? Evolving. Parent
voice? Making a difference. Do not underestimate.
Don't underestimate yourself. Yeah. Exactly.
Sometimes it feels really defeating when you
watch a hundred people say, please vote no on
this. And they vote yes on it. Sometime it's
defeating. I guess my takeaway is there are a
lot more people out there. The Medicaid rally
on the steps, the Fred Riggers day. Like there
are. People are coming out and exactly what you
said, parent voice is making a difference. Testimony
is making a difference. Voices are making a difference
and seeing people show up. That's what I'm going
to take away from this session is I think we
had more people realizing the value of their
voice. Never stop sharing your power of your
personal story. Exactly. Thank you so much, everyone
out there, for listening in. And know that if
you are in Idaho or planning on moving to Idaho
and have questions on systems or services for
children with disabilities, please consider reaching
out to us on our website at iPullIdaho, that's
I -P -U -L -Idaho .org, or by calling us at 208
-342 -5884. Be sure to tune in next time. Until
then, This has been Unlimited Parenting. Thanks
for listening!