Aaron Bolton
Northwest Montana and Statewide Health Care ReporterAaron graduated from the University of Minnesota School of Journalism in 2015 after interning at Minnesota Public Radio. He landed his first reporting gig in Wrangell, Alaska where he enjoyed the remote Alaskan lifestyle and eventually moved back to the road system as the KBBI News Director in Homer, Alaska. He joined the MTPR team in 2019. Aaron now reports on all things in northwest Montana and statewide health care.
Have a northwest Montana or health care tip/story idea? Email me at aaron@mtpr.org or call/text at 612-799-1269
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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.
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A major settlement between states, the Federal Trade Commission and John Deere marks a step forward for farmers' “right to repair.” The Columbia Falls Aluminum Company will pay $57 million to clean up its former aluminum smelter in the Flathead Valley. The site is contaminated with arsenic, cyanide and other toxins from the smelting process.
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Montanans on Medicaid are now required to show they’re working or qualify for a wide range of exemptions. Some people on Medicaid say the state hasn’t been clear about when they should submit their paperwork. -
Medicaid advocates rallied at the state Capitol Wednesday to voice their opposition to new work requirements. They argued the state is rushing to roll out new rules that will impact who still qualifies.
