Medicaid Spending is Out of Control and H138 is the Solution
A Message from the Gang of 8
As we approach the midpoint of the session, bills are piling up. The House has introduced 382 bills, resolutions, and memorials, while the Senate has introduced 136. However, printing a bill doesn’t guarantee it will be heard, and some of the most important issues for Idahoans are stuck in committee, waiting for debate.
One of the most critical bills this session is H138—Medicaid Safeguards.
Medicaid Is Consuming Idaho’s Budget
The numbers don’t lie: Medicaid spending is spiraling out of control and threatens to consume Idaho’s entire budget.
Since 2015, Medicaid spending has surged by 86.9%.
In FY 2025, Health & Human Services will consume 39.3% of Idaho’s budget.
Of that, 86.3% is spent on Medicaid.
Look at the cumulative budget increases. While other programs have seen concerning increases, Medicaid has exploded, nearly doubling in just a decade.
Mid’s Growth Is Unsustainable
In FY 2021, Medicaid expansion was budgeted at $403 million.
By 2026, the governor’s budget request skyrockets to $1.36 billion, a 238% increase in just six years.
The chart below shows that Medicaid is not only growing, but dominating the entire Health & Human Services budget, leaving little room for anything else.
Where Is the Money Going?
Despite covering a smaller portion of the population, Enhanced and Expansion Plans consume a disproportionate share of Medicaid’s budget.
Instead of prioritizing children, the elderly, and disabled individuals, Medicaid expansion has shifted resources to able-bodied, childless adults, the biggest cost drivers.
This is not sustainable.
What This Means for Idaho
If Medicaid’s unchecked growth continues, it will crowd out essential services such as roads, law enforcement, infrastructure, and more. We must act now to control spending before it’s too late.
Medicaid was meant to be a safety net, not a budget black hole, but it will swallow everything in its path if we don’t rein it in.
H138: A Plan to Rein in Medicaid Growth
Medicaid is on track to bankrupt the state if nothing is done. H138 is a crucial step toward controlling costs while ensuring care for those who truly need it.
Here’s what H138 does:
✅ Refocuses Medicaid on the truly needy, ensuring resources go to those who need them most instead of allowing costs to spiral.
✅ Protects coverage for vulnerable groups—including the elderly, disabled individuals, pregnant women, children, and most parents and caretakers. These groups will NOT be impacted.
✅ Implements targeted reforms for able-bodied, childless adults, who make up the largest cost driver in Medicaid expansion.
H138 is the only real plan to rein in Medicaid spending. Without it, the budget crisis will only worsen.
Senator Zuiderveld Fights to Get H138 Heard
The House passed H138, recognizing its necessity for Idaho’s financial future. But one person is blocking it.
Despite having the votes to pass, H138 was held in the drawer at the discretion of the Senate Health & Welfare Chairwoman, preventing it from moving forward. Senator Zuiderveld isn’t letting one person decide for all 105 legislators on this crucial issue.
With four committee members co-signing the bill, it was ready to move, but deliberate obstruction kept it stalled.
Determined to break the deadlock, Senator Zuiderveld moved to bring H138 to the calendar, but was immediately met with resistance.
🔹 Unexpected opposition—including from a senator who co-signed H138.
🔹 Delays and stall tactics—the committee went at ease while they scrambled to block the motion.
🔹 A procedural maneuver—her motion was ruled “out of order,” a decision she immediately challenged.
Watch Senator Zuiderveld’s motion below.
The response? More bureaucratic roadblocks.
Under Rule 20–Committee Chair’s Decisions, the Chair’s ruling is final and cannot be appealed within the committee. The Senate Presiding Officer cannot overturn it, except under Rule 14(E).
Bringing H138 to the Senate Floor
Senate Rule 14(E) states:
"When a bill, resolution, or memorial has been in the hands of a committee for three days after its reference, any Senator may, at the Tenth Order of Business, serve notice that he may call for the bill, resolution, or memorial and the committee report thereon."
This means Senator Zuiderveld’s next step will be to call for the bill in the 10th Order with a roll call vote.
✔️ This forces every senator to go on record—no more backroom delays, no more one-person vetoes.
One way or another, she is fighting to make sure this bill is heard and voted on.
Medicaid Reform Can’t Wait
H138 is more than just a Medicaid bill; it symbolizes a fight for fiscal responsibility in Idaho. Medicaid spending is spiraling out of control, and if we don’t rein it in now, it will devour the state budget.
Passing H138 will save Idaho taxpayers $1 billion.
🚨 The battle for H138 isn’t over. We will update you as Senator Zuiderveld pushes to get this bill heard.
In Liberty,
Senator Christy Zito, District 8
CZito@senate.idaho.gov
Senator Glenneda Zuiderveld, District 24
GZuiderveld@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @glenneda
Senator Josh Kohl, District 25
JKohl@senate.idaho.gov
Substack: @joshkohl4idaho
Representative Faye Thompson, District 8
FThompson@house.idaho.gov
Representative Lucas Cayler, District 11
LCayler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @lucascayler
Representative Kent Marmon, District 11
KMarmon@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @kentmarmon
Representative Clint Hostetler, District 24
CHostetler@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @theidahoresolve
Representative David Leavitt, District 25
DLeavitt@house.idaho.gov
Substack: @leavitt4idaho
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This situation shows an egregious disrespect for Idahoans and fellow legislators. HUGE thanks to Senator Zito, Senator Zuiderveld, and the Gang of Eight who continue to stand for We the People.
We must name the Senator who is holding this and other essential bills. We also must expose the funding and lobbyist pressure the Senator receives, which could be guiding the Senator’s decisions on these bills: https://sunshine.voteidaho.gov/login (funding) and https://sunshine.voteidaho.gov/lobbyists (lobbying).
While many voters likely know who the Senator is, others — who may unwittingly have voted for this Senator — do not. A pattern of holding back bills should not be tolerated by voters or fellow legislators. It’s wrong and likely violates the spirit, if not the letter, of this Senator’s oath of office:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Idaho, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of senator according to the best of my ability." https://legislature.idaho.gov/statutesrules/idconst/artiii/sect25/
A committee chairperson who pigeonholes a bill should be named and censured for inaction.