Frugal budgets were set this morning for Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides health care for the elderly and disabled. “There will be no rate increases for anyone,” said Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley. “The economic times would indicate that that’s what we have to do.”

The overall increase set by JFAC for the state-federal program was just 6.9 percent, in a program where 15 percent increases have been common in recent years. Wood said when caseload growth, state employee raises and benefit costs are taken out, it’s actually a small decrease.

Among items that lawmakers trimmed were replacements of any vehicles with fewer than 95,000 miles on them, unless they were specialty vehicles. Said Wood, “It’s an extremely flat and prudent budget… There are certainly not going to be any frills there.”

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