Compromise Bill Advances


Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls
A compromise bill to extend Medicaid Expansion, passed narrowly by a House committee Tuesday night, has until just April 1 to be sent to the Senate.
A heavily amended bill carried by Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, adds some work requirements but broadens exemptions from his original bill. Audits will monitor the number of people suspended due to failure to meet work requirements and if a court finds them invalid, the program ends in 2025—but could be extended. The bill is expected to pass the House, possibly with more amendments, then goes to the Senate. If passed by both houses, Gov. Steve Bullock would have to decide whether to sign it or veto it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Restoring funding for targeted case management in Montana

What is targeted case management? Besides close family, case managers are one of the most important persons in the life of a developmentally disabled or mentally ill person. They help them get necessary services and care, thus allowing more Montanans to live in their community instead of often expensive and isolating institutional settings. Case managers help people get and keep jobs, transition to independent living, find doctors and therapists, assist clients with finding stable housing, trouble-shooting benefits paperwork, and checking on medications. They help clients navigate the transition from high school and living at home to entering the workforce and independent living. Case managers can also help people find medical and therapy providers and make sure they get to appointments and take medication. In some cases, a person can have the same case manager for years or decades, building a relationship that creates a high level of understanding. What happe
Read more

Medicaid Expansion in Montana Pays for Itself

Image
A hard look by economists at the first two and a half years of Medicaid Expansion in Montana makes it clear that the program is paying for itself, while bringing more than $600 million into Montana that would not otherwise be here. "While the state pays a nominal amount for these benefits," the report's authors state, "the costs to the state budget are more than offset by the savings created by Medicaid expansion and by the revenues associated with increased economic activity." The report by the UM Bureau of Business and Economic Research, commissioned by Montana Healthcare Foundation and Headwaters Foundation, updates a previous report submitted 10 months ago. With mostly federal dollars, Medicaid expansion provided beneficiaries with nearly $1.4 billion of health care they would not otherwise have had, the report adds. The authors estimate that it will generate between 5,900 and 7,500 jobs and between $350-$385 million in personal income annually betw
Read more

"Notice inequity and injustice, and act for change"

Our rector's message in the 2018 Annual Report of Holy Spirit Parish underscores the importance of our advocacy work: "What’s ahead in 2019? As I said in last year’s report, the wider culture at home and worldwide is rapidly changing. Christianity has had to adapt in response to changing needs throughout its history. We must as well. We best serve as stewards of God when we responsibly carry on the work of Jesus with joy and hope. What is that work? To love as he loves us; to notice inequity and injustice, and act for change; and most importantly, to be open to what God is calling us to do today so that the message of Good News is effectively shared and received. When we pause and listen to those around us, seek the heart of their stories, their yearnings, their fears, we are already bringing Good News and the presence of God’s love into their lives. Jesus met people where they were and lifted them up by his very presence, a point from which much more would come. It
Read more