Montana lawmakers will decide in the coming months what happens to health coverage for tens of thousands of people.
The Montana Healthcare Foundation released three new reports on Medicaid expansion. CEO Aaron Wernham says one report estimated how Montana’s insurance market would change if lawmakers don’t renew the program this session.
“They estimate that between 54,000 and 74,000 would lose coverage from Medicaid expansion, and that the uninsured rate would increase by between 37% and 51%," said Wernham.
Some people could enroll in the federal insurance marketplace. But premiums for marketplace plans could go up by six to eight percent. That’s because people on Medicaid tend to have more health conditions and are more expensive to insure.The health insurance program for low-income adults expires this summer without action from lawmakers.
