Medicaid

Public comment period opens for proposed Medicaid work requirements. Chippewa Cree Tribe awarded $2.5 million for hepatitis C treatment. Missoula County awarded $1.2 million for wildfire mitigation. Trump administration appoints new director of Montana's Rural Development office. UM, MSU report growth in enrollment and student retention

State health officials told lawmakers this week they will likely need more funding to implement Medicaid work requirements.

Planned Parenthood clinics in Montana are no longer able to bill Medicaid for any services. Federal appeals court last week overturned a previous ruling that blocked the policy from taking effect.

State health officials are asking the federal government for permission to implement Medicaid work requirements early. Experts worry many people won’t be able to keep up with the additional paperwork, even if they are working. KFF, a non-partisan health policy group, estimates 34,000 Montanans could lose coverage.

Montana’s Medicaid office is struggling to process applications in a timely manner. The state is planning to fast track new work requirements and eligibility checks – which would mean even more paperwork for applicants and state officials.

Montanans who need help shopping for health insurance or enrolling in Medicaid may soon be on their own. The Trump administration is cutting federal funding for a service that helped people get insured.

The Montana State Hospital lost its federal certification in 2022 due to patient deaths. That decertification means the state can’t bill Medicaid or Medicare for patient services – a funding loss that has cost the state millions of dollars. State health officials plan to apply for federal recertification next year.

The state health department plans to request federal approval to enact both Medicaid work requirements and co-payments for doctor visits in September. The department opened a 60-day public comment period.

Montana is one of eleven states in the country where older adults outnumber children, according to a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau.

People on Medicare or Medicaid struggle to access mental and behavioral health services. That’s according to a new federal report.