The Montana Primary Care Association is launching a program to help people who lost Medicaid during the state’s evaluation process reapply.
The Montana Primary Care Association will train public service providers like food banks to help the roughly 130,000 Montanans that lost Medicaid during the last year.
The state recently finished evaluating the eligibility of everyone on its Medicaid rolls. That process was on hold during the pandemic.
Olivia Riutta with the Primary Care Association said the process of reapplying can be confusing and there are many people who are still eligible or lost coverage for procedural reasons.
“We are working to increase the capacity across the state so that people who have lost Medicaid or Healthy Montana Kids can reapply for coverage as quickly as possible,” Riutta said.
Riutta is encouraging organizations that can’t directly help people re-apply to refer them to the Primary Care Association's Cover Montana program. That program provides remote and in-person help to people applying for Medicaid or buying insurance on the federal marketplace.
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Some state Medicaid services are on the chopping block due to a budget shortfall. The state health department estimates it will need at least another $7 million, but isn’t saying what services might be cut. -
Montana’s health department says it’s moving forward with plans to reimburse trained, non-medical maternal health professionals called “doulas” through Medicaid. MTPR’s Austin Amestoy sat down with KFF Health News reporter Katheryn Houghton to get the update.
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Hundreds of miles of open road can stretch between expectant mothers and the maternity care they need in rural Montana. That’s where trained, non-medical professionals called “doulas” can help fill the gap. Montana was set to start reimbursing doulas through Medicaid this year, but federal cuts to the health program have put that plan on ice. -
Montana health officials say they will roll out new Medicaid work requirements by July, months ahead of the federal deadline. There’s been worry the state is moving too fast and that Montanans who still qualify will lose coverage. The Montana Healthcare Foundation has released a list of actions it says the state can take to avoid that fate. -
State health officials remain committed to a plan for implementing work requirements and other major changes to Medicaid months before a federal deadline. Federal officials aren’t expected to release detailed guidance until June, raising concerns about whether the state's plan is feasible. -
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