Federal rules say state Medicaid offices should process applications within 45 days.
According to the latest data, 60% of April’s Medicaid applications took longer. That’s higher than usual, but most months, about 40% of Montana’s Medicaid applications miss the federal deadline.
Heather O’Loughlin with the Montana Budget and Policy Center says that’s concerning because the state is trying to fast track new Medicaid work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks. Both are required under new federal law.
"You look at these processing delays and what the state has on its plate right now – What we’re talking about is a much greater administrative burden,” O'Loughlin says.
Because the state is already falling behind on new Medicaid applications, O’Laughlin says it’s hard to imagine health officials being able to take on more work.
The state plans to ask federal regulators to implement the new Medicaid requirements next month. O’Loughlin wants the state to wait until the 2027 deadline.
KFF, a nonpartisan health policy think tank, estimates 34,000 Montanans will lose Medicaid coverage because they’re unable to keep up with new paperwork requirements.
O’Loughlin worries more people could lose coverage if the state moves too fast.
