Health care

Congressional bargainers are celebrating a deal they say could pave the way for passage of legislation that would help millions of veterans exposed to toxins from burn pits during their time in the military. The deal could help roughly two-thirds of Montana veterans.

Nationwide, at least 103,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2021, a 45% increase from 2019, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 7 of every 10 of those deaths were from synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl. And overdose deaths are disproportionately affecting Native Americans

Southwest Montana veterans and public officials gathered in celebration Friday for the opening of a new health care clinic in Butte.

The Montana State Hospital’s top administrator Kyle Fouts will no longer oversee operations starting May 9. The change comes after federal officials pulled funding at the Warm Springs facility due to patient safety issues.

Nurses at Barrett Hospital and HealthCare voted 18 to 8 in favor of forming a union. The state nurses association says the move is part of a growing trend of organized health care labor.

Federal officials are expected later this year to end a pandemic-era safety net for recipients of subsidized health coverage through Medicaid. Advocates worry some people will lose their coverage unnecessarily. MTPR’s Shaylee Ragar talks with the Montana State News Bureau’s Holly Michels about what’s changing and how recipients can prepare.

State health officials say they have signed a contract with a Helena-based consulting firm to address patient safety issues at the Montana State Hospital. The federal government pulled funding for the hospital this week citing safety problems that resulted in patient deaths.

A report from the Montana Healthcare Foundation found that enrollees in Montana’s Medicaid expansion program needed less emergency care after having health coverage.

Some Montana emergency responders, like those in the Madison Valley, are trying something new. Instead of only responding to 911 calls, they are working with patients in their homes to prevent unnecessary medical emergencies.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in February warned the state it could lose funding after they found that the Montana State Hospital didn’t have measures in place to prevent COVID-19 infections and serious falls among patients, which led to four deaths.