Politics isn’t abstract for most Idaho families — it shows up in the monthly budget, the medicine cabinet and the phone calls to health providers. Lawmakers’ choices about taxes, health credits and Medicaid funding determine whether a paycheck stretches to cover groceries, whether a therapy appointment is affordable and whether a sudden crisis lands a family in an emergency room rather than in outpatient care.

Take the state’s recent income tax cuts. In March, Idaho signed House Bill 40, a large reduction in the individual and corporate income tax rates that the governor hailed as “sending money back to Idahoans.” For wealthy households the relief is real and immediate; for the programs that support vulnerable Idahoans, the loss of revenue is already being felt. Analysts warn these cuts d

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