Medicaid expansion will be on the table for Montana lawmakers to consider during the next legislative session. Officials are studying the policy’s impact ahead of that debate.
The subsidized health insurance for low-income and disabled adults has improved health outcomes, brought in federal match dollars and hundreds of millions in new health care spending and supports around 7,500 jobs.
UM economist Bryce Ward says, “Combined, these things are more than enough to offset the state’s share of the cost.”
About 80% of the state’s Medicaid expansion program is funded by the federal government. The state kicks in the rest.
Ward presented his research to lawmakers Tuesday. By his estimate, about half of all expansion recipients would go without health insurance if not for the program. He said recipients also have more financial security.
Enrollment in Montana’s Medicaid expansion program has hovered around 100,000 people, more than 9% of the state's population.
Montana’s Medicaid expansion program is set to expire in 2025 unless the state Legislature votes to renew it.