Heart flutters at the state capital Friday as the Medicaid Expansion bill carried by Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, was tabled by a Senate committee. But that turned out to be a parliamentary maneuver by the bill's Senate sponsor to assure it a more friendly committee hearing. The bill still should pass the Senate and be signed by the governor, most observers predict, as it has the support of Democrats as well as more moderate Republicans. Some Republicans opposed to Medicaid Expansion point to a failed statewide referendum last year that would have funded the program through an increase in tobacco taxes, suggesting that the current effort thwarts the will of the people. Opposition to the ballot measure was heavily financed by tobacco companies.
Montana Women Vote and other organizations are staging a rally for Medicaid Expansion at the Capitol at noon on Saturday, March 16 Montana's Medicaid Expansion provides health insurance to nearly 100,000 (1 in 10) Montanans, but without legislative action, the program will expire in June. Some legislators are calling for changes to the program that would kick up to 43,000 Montanans off their health insurance. Join us for a rally to protect Medicaid expansion in Montana. Carpools available! If you would like to carpool, email Ella at ella@montanawomenvote.org
The upcoming battle over Medicaid expansion in Montana this spring will probably focus on work or “community engagement” requirements, favored by Republicans as a condition for continuing the program covering 95,000 Montanans. Here are links to several articles and studies opposed to the work requirements for various reasons: 1) Work requirements could reduce enrollment in Medicaid expansion by a third . ( Once Representative Buttrey’s bill has been introduced, legislative fiscal analysts will come up with their own estimate of how much it will cost to implement.) 2) Work requirements would disproportionately hurt rural Montanans . 3) Montana’s existing HELP-Link program meets workforce needs better than work requirements. Why are work requirements even being considered? In essence, it's a conservative theory adopted by the Trump administration, and urged upon states, that " sustained employment or other productive community engagement leads to improved he...
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