The Montana Senate Tuesday voted down a bill that would phase out Montana’s Medicaid expansion program.
The bill would have allowed Montanans currently on the program to continue receiving health coverage until they no longer qualify, but would stop new applications.
Bill sponsor Sen. Carl Glimm of Kila argued that getting people off expansion would force them to work.
However, reports from the state and the Headwaters Foundation find that at least 95% of those on Medicaid expansion either already work, are college students, full-time caretakers for family, or are disabled and can’t work.
A bill that would remove the sunset on the state’s expansion program passed the House earlier this week.
While Democrats want to continue the program in some form, the Republican caucus isn’t united on if it should continue or what it should look like.
