When Care Disappears Overnight: Idaho’s Mental Health Cuts

In Idaho, cuts to a Medicaid-funded mental health crisis program left some of the state’s most vulnerable patients without intensive community-based support. In this first episode of Sick by Design, we examine the human stories behind those cuts — and how healthcare policy decisions translate into real-world consequences for patients, families, providers, and communities.Through reporting, policy analysis, and personal accounts, this episode explores the fragile systems holding severe mental illness care together in America — and what happens when those systems begin to fail.Sources for this episode include reporting from The New York Times, the Idaho Statesman, and the Idaho Capital Sun.https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/07/health/idaho-mental-health-act-cuts.html https://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/03/12/fourth-patient-dies-after-idaho-cut-medicaid-mental-health-service/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/04/01/citing-patient-deaths-idaho-senate-approves-restoring-cut-medicaid-mental-health-programs/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://idahocapitalsun.com/2026/04/03/after-four-patients-died-idaho-governor-approves-restoring-cut-medicaid-mental-health-programs/?utm_source=chatgpt.comhttps://www.idahostatesman.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article314549368.html?utm_source=chatgpt.comRachel SpahnnComments? Questions? Experiences to share? Interested in contributing? Email: [email protected]