Resurrection!

Five days before Easter, Montana Medicaid Expansion has been resurrected on a 28-22 vote by the state Senate. The amended bill now goes back to the House for a final set of votes. The bill includes work requirements, an improved asset test and premium increases for people who stay on the program for more than two years. Some Republican senators had withheld support last week, hoping to secure passage of a bill that prolongs coal energy production in the state. But the coal bill failed on third reading in the House on Tuesday, 60-38. The idea could be amended into another bill in the final 10 days of the session.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"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

Compromise Bill Advances

Image
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.
Read more

What the governor wants

Here's a good breakdown of what Gov. Bullock is asking the legislature in his FY 2020 budget proposal, including $3 billion for the Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), which would fully restore the funding that was cut in 2017. Also included in that department budget is retaining Medicaid expansion, which would cost an estimated $26 million in general fund spending. As the article points out, this is just the opening salvo and the final numbers will be the result of some intense legislative battles. 
Read more