Aaron Bolton

State health officials last week told lawmakers the rollout of work requirements for people on Medicaid is going well. Montana soft-launched Medicaid work requirements July 1, months ahead of the federal deadline to do so.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections for abortion access four years ago, Montana providers expected to serve more people from neighboring states with bans. But the ability to put medications in the mail upended that expectation and led to more Montanans getting abortions. A federal case in Louisiana could limit that access.

Planned Parenthood of Montana announced this week it’s opening a new clinic in Bozeman. The facility will open its doors next year and will provide reproductive health and abortion services. It’s been more than 20 years since they’ve opened a new clinic.

Psychiatrists in Montana say a major insurance company is shortchanging them through a practice called “downcoding.” Psychiatric associations have filed two complaints with state regulators.

Nearly 45-million acres of national forest lands that have been protected for 25 years could open up to logging. The Trump administration Tuesday proposed a new regulation that would remove what’s known as the “roadless rule.” MTPR’s Aaron Bolton spoke with Ellis Juhlin from the Montana Free Press about the latest in a decades-old fight over where the federal government allows logging.

A Libby medical clinic that diagnoses and treats people with asbestos-related diseases abruptly closed this week. Congress set up the clinic and gave Libby-area residents Medicare benefits because exposure to asbestos in the community was so widespread.

Nearly 700 medical staff at Providence St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula have unionized. Montana Secretary of State Christi Jacobsen is blasting an out of state company for scamming Montana businesses. Fire restrictions expand to Granite, Missoula counties.

As fuel prices rise due to the Iran war, so does the cost of everything else. The grocery store is often where families feel the financial pinch first. That’s because it costs more to ship food across the country. Food banks are also facing higher costs and increasing demand.

It’s been a little over four years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the right to an abortion. Many states have banned or severely restricted access since then. The Dobbs decision also impacted Montana, where abortion access is enshrined in the state Constitution.

Forecasters say a high-pressure system will continue to send smoke from wildfires in Oregon and Washington for the foreseeable future. Montana's mule deer population is on an upswing, according to survey results released by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.