Fallout could trigger a $400-$600 million annual budget overrun and loss of access to care for children on Medicaid
POCATELLO, Idaho /Massachusetts Newswire – National News/ — The Pocatello Children’s Clinic is sounding the alarm regarding a pending statewide primary care crisis created by 2025 Idaho House Bill 345, and proposing an emergency amendment to avert tragedy. Idaho recently passed legislation to transition Medicaid to Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) by 2029. While the intent is to improve efficiency and cost control, interim changes over the next three years include eliminating the Healthy Connections Case Management program, well before replacement infrastructure is ready. The fallout could trigger a $400-$600 million annual budget overrun and loss of access to care for children on Medicaid.
A PROPOSED SOLUTION:
To prevent this crisis, the Pocatello Children’s Clinic has drafted a formal Amendment to House Bill 345. The amendment seeks to re-establish the Healthy Connections Case Management program as a bridge until the MCOs are fully ready to accept the handoff. This ensures a seamless transition, protects taxpayer dollars, and maintains the primary care infrastructure that has served Idaho for 32 years.
The Clinic has spent the last six months collaborating with state legislators, partner clinics, hospitals, other Idaho pediatricians, and the Idaho Academy of Family Physicians to build support for this measure. So far, the response has been positive; however, action is desperately needed.
CALL TO ACTION:
As the Idaho Legislature convenes on January 12, the Pocatello Children’s Clinic urges citizens to contact their state legislators. Reinstating the Healthy Connections Case Management program is a vital step in ensuring that Idaho doctors can continue to serve their communities.
BACKGROUND INFO:
Healthy Connections enables local physicians to coordinate care for Medicaid-insured patients. Approximately one-third of patients at Pocatello Children’s Clinic rely on Medicaid to access care. Loss of this long-standing program threatens access to vital health services and creates financial instability for community-based pediatric practices.
Healthy Connections benefits all patients – not just those on Medicaid-by supporting referrals, after-hours care, preventive care, and care coordination. Pediatric practices invest significant effort in reducing unnecessary emergency room visits through free nurse lines, overnight physician access, and extended clinic hours. These services do not generate revenue but are critical to keeping costs down and improving outcomes.
Rising healthcare costs are driven by technology, high-cost medications, chronic disease, and patient expectations-not by Healthy Connections Case Management. Short-term savings from eliminating the program will be eclipsed by higher emergency room utilization, delayed care, and reduced access to primary care, ultimately increasing costs to the state. Idaho Medicaid reimbursement to private practice is often already less than the cost of providing that patient visit.
Beyond fiscal impact, there is a human cost. Medicaid practices are central to the health and stability of local communities. The clinic’s Pediatricians, nurses, office managers, and support staff are community members who have served Southeast Idaho families for more than 60 years. The ability of practices like ours to continue providing that level of service is under threat.
ABOUT POCATELLO CHILDREN’S CLINIC:
Pocatello Children’s Clinic includes eight of the nine primary care pediatricians in the region (including Bannock, Power, Caribou, Bear Lake, Oneida, Franklin, and Bingham counties). Since 1962, the Pocatello Children’s Clinic has provided comprehensive pediatric care to generations of families in Southeast Idaho. As a historical medical training site for the University of Washington, Idaho State University, and Full Circle Health, the clinic remains dedicated to fostering the next generation of healthcare professionals and protecting the health of Idaho’s children. Find out more at: https://pocatellochildren.com/.
Learn More: https://pocatellochildren.com/
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NEWS SOURCE: Pocatello Children’s Clinic. Story was sourced from a press release issued by Send2Press® and used with permission. View the original story at: https://www.send2press.com/wire/pocatello-childrens-clinic-warns-of-primary-care-pending-tragedy-proposes-emergency-amendment-to-2025-idaho-house-bill-345/
