Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

Families of former Montana State Hospital patients are suing the state. They say the state failed to prevent neglect, injuries and other issues at the psychiatric facility.

New data from the Montana Health Department show nearly 16,000 people lost Medicaid coverage in August. According to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks, over 2,100 hunters visited wildlife check stations as big game general hunting season opened Saturday.

Montana Free Press reporter Mara Silvers joined MTPR's Austin Amestoy with details about the Montana Health Department hiring a New York based consulting firm to guide the state as it undergoes a multiyear overhaul of its behavioral health services.

Health department officials are asking legislators to change criminal commitment laws amid a bottleneck at the Montana State Hospital.

Thousands are losing Medicaid coverage as the state redetermines Montanans’ eligibility. Federal officials say the state is trying to move through the process too fast, leading to procedural errors and confusion among enrollees.

The federal agency that oversees Medicaid said it’s concerned with Montana’s ability to provide customers help over the phone due to long wait times and a high rate of dropped calls.

Montanans seeking help over the phone with Medicaid enrollment are waiting on hold longer than residents of almost any other state. That’s according to July data from the federal agency that oversees the program.

The state health department has received a $24 million grant over the next three years from the federal government to aid in Montana’s lack of affordable child care.

Montana’s behavioral health system will get an infusion of $300 million with the signing of a bill passed last legislative session. Behavioral health providers are still waiting to find out if they’ll receive a long-awaited pay increase.

Nearly 8,000 Montanans may soon find themselves without health insurance because many who went through the first round of Medicaid redetermination haven’t submitted the necessary paperwork.