The House has voted 38-30 in favor of HB 701, the Medicaid budget, after intense debate.Rep. Fred Wood, R-Burley, lead sponsor of the bill, said, "We find ourselves in truly extraordinary times, and I'm as uncomfortable with this budget as anybody in this room, because I do know what it is going to do to some people." But, he said, "Short of increasing taxes, there's simply not anything that we're going to do."

Rep. John Rusche, D-Lewiston, who like Wood is a physician, said, "I'm really concerned about what a decrease of $22 million in general funding and $90 million in federal funding means to the health care jobs. ... This takes $100 million out of the industry - it's goign to have a significant effect on jobs, and I think it'll also have a compounding effect on the revenue for the state of Idaho for the next fiscal year." Plus, he said, "Almost all the people we serve in Medicaid are either children, adults in nursing homes or assisted living that are poor, or are disabled. They're going to have trouble."

House Health & Welfare Chairwoman Sharon Bock, R-Twin Falls, said, "Idaho is in a budget crisis and Medicaid has to be a part of the solution - it's 75 percent of the Health & Welfare budget. ... This budget is needed to help balance the state budget." The budget bill now moves to the Senate.