Chaotic Medicaid redetermination process closes
Montana Public Radio| Aaron Bolton
Wednesday was technically the last day of the state’s process to reevaluate Montanans’ eligibility for Medicaid. But the impact of the historic process won’t be known for months.
State health officials decided on a 10-month process to evaluate nearly 325,000 Montanans’ eligibility for Medicaid. Federal health officials gave the state 14 months to do that evaluation for the first time in three years.
Redetermination proved to be chaotic. Federal health officials warned Montana multiple times about the high rate of people losing coverage for procedural reasons, vulnerable people like children losing coverage and long hold times on the state help line.
Nearly 40% of Medicaid enrollees lost coverage through November, according to state data.That percentage could change as more data becomes available and the state wraps up pending cases.
Federal officials propose new conservation plan to support Arctic grayling population in southwest Montana
Montana Public Radio| John Hooks
Federal environmental officials are proposing a new conservation plan to support an Arctic grayling population in southwest Montana.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is hoping to aid an Arctic grayling population nearing historic lows in the Red Rock Lakes Wildlife Refuge near Lima.
The service proposes to remove portions of beaver dams that block the graylings’ path to their spawning grounds in Red Rock Creek.
In its draft environmental assessment, the service says removing portions of dams will have minimal impacts on beavers and increase spawning habitat for grayling.
A previous plan involving construction of a pipeline was withdrawn last year after a federal court ruled it would likely violate the Wilderness Act.
The service will accept public comment on the plan until March 1.
Drought drive Montana's cattle numbers to 12-year low
Montana Public Radio| Ellis Juhlin
Cattle numbers in Montana have been steadily declining for the last decade. Montana’s cattle numbers are the lowest they’ve been since 2013.
Several years of drought forced ranchers to reduce herd sizes in recent years. Eastern Montana’s been especially hit hard by drought and stable flies.
Mike Honeycutt with the Montana Department of Livestock addressed lawmakers in a recent interim committee.
“So we're back under that low inventory that we had in 2013, largely driven by drought,” Honeycutt said.
According to data from the Department of Livestock, producers are selling off more cows and raising fewer.
After selling off cows, ranchers will often look to grow their herds to recover breeding stock. But economists said that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon. Ranchers seem to agree that conditions are not going to improve in the near term.
Ranchers have to strike a balance between selling enough cows to turn a profit while keeping herds big enough to breed the following year.
