Medicaid In Montana: Expand Or Expire? (Ep. 102)
The 2019 legislative session is over, but what’s the future for Medicaid Expansion in Montana?
The Rundown
Medicaid in Montana: Expand or Expire? (Ep. 102)
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The 2019 legislative session is over, what’s the future for Medicaid Expansion in Montana?
The 2019 Montana Legislature has adjourned, but what’s the outcome for the largest topic they tackled this session: the health insurance of 1 in 10 Montanans? In two years, Medicaid Expansion has provided federally-funded healthcare coverage to nearly 100,000 Montanans who all fall under the 138% poverty line. It has also created 2,000 jobs and injected millions of dollars into the Montana economy. Whether to continue this program has Democrats and Republicans split on ideology. Proponents say the numbers speak for themselves and Medicaid Expansion helps Montanans live healthier lives. Opponents site the growing national debt as reasons to cut back spending on programs and question why recipients aren’t paying for their own plans.
As Medicaid Expansion is set to expire in Montana this summer, the power to keep it or let it go was in lawmakers’ hands but couldn’t be done without a bi-partisan agreement. Were legislators able to work out something to garner enough votes from both sides? Or will the sun set on Medicaid this summer?
As Medicaid Expansion is set to expire in Montana this summer, the power to keep it or let it go was in lawmakers’ hands but couldn’t be done without a bi-partisan agreement. Were legislators able to work out something to garner enough votes from both sides? Or will the sun set on Medicaid this summer?
Medicaid In Montana (Ep. 102)
Jackie Coffin
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Members of the public attend a public listening session on Medicaid Expansion at the Montana State Capitol on Jan. 17.
Jackie Coffin
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Supporters of Medicaid Expansion wear “Lift the Sunset!” stickers during a public listening session at the Montana State Capitol on Jan. 17.
Jackie Coffin
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A pediatrician listens to the heartbeat of Quinn Ketzler, 1, during a check-up at a Missoula clinic.
Jackie Coffin
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A tray of shots sits on the counter of a doctor’s office in Missoula.
Jackie Coffin
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Cherie Taylor, CEO of Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cutbank, Mont. Makes the fiscal case for Medicaid Expansion seated in the hospital’s emergency room.
Jackie Coffin
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Wheelchairs sitting in the sun inside the Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cutbank, Mont.
Jackie Coffin
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The emergency room of the Northern Rockies Medical Center in Cutbank, Mont.
Jackie Coffin
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The Montana State Capitol in Helena, Mont.