Medicaid unwinding deals a blow to a tenuous system of care for Native Americans
About a year into the process of redetermining Medicaid eligibility after the COVID-19 public health emergency, more than 20 million people nationwide have been kicked off the joint federal-state program for low-income families. Native Americans are proving particularly vulnerable to losing coverage and face greater obstacles to re-enrolling in Medicaid or finding other coverage.
Latest health Reporting
Addiction treatment homes say funding fixes don’t go far enough
Montana health officials have started a voucher system to help people with substance use disorders move into transitional housing as they rebuild their lives. But those who run the clinical houses said the new money isn’t enough to fix a financial hole after a prior state revamp.
Montana records largest drop in childhood Medicaid coverage from pre-pandemic figures, study shows
A new report shows that Montana had one of the largest drops in childhood Medicaid enrollment from April to December 2023, when the state was re-evaluating Medicaid eligibility for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. Researchers say the state’s end-of-year childhood enrollment was also 15% lower than pre-pandemic levels — the biggest…
State Medicaid director resigns from health department
Mike Randol will leave the role of state Medicaid director almost two years after accepting the position under the prior head of Gov. Greg Gianforte’s Department of Public Health and Human Services, Adam Meier. Department spokesperson Jon Ebelt said Randol’s resignation was accepted April 23. His last day is on May 10.
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MORE HEALTH COVERAGE
Unsheltered people are losing Medicaid in redetermination mix-ups
Tashya Evans is one of about 130,000 Montanans who have lost Medicaid coverage as the state reevaluates eligibility following a pause in disenrollments during the COVID-19 pandemic. About two-thirds of those who were kicked off state Medicaid rolls lost coverage for technical reasons, such as incorrectly filling out paperwork. That’s one of the highest procedural…
Republicans vote to oppose constitutional abortion rights measure
Republican lawmakers convened a hearing to discuss the constitutional abortion rights initiative that could appear on the November ballot, despite an April court order finding that the Legislature’s consideration would have no bearing on CI-128’s signature-gathering campaign.
Five takeaways from our reporting on Montana State Hospital
Medical practitioners and other staff at the psychiatric hospital in Warm Springs are raising alarms about new leadership and policy changes at the public facility. The administration of Gov. Greg Gianforte has called the current reforms part of a “significant cultural, clinical, and operational transformation.” Here are five takeaways from our reporting.
The path to a better tuberculosis vaccine runs through Montana
How University of Montana researchers are helping develop a more effective vaccine against an infectious disease that has killed more people than any other.
State psychiatric hospital employees raise alarm over rampant turnover and ‘crisis’ of leadership
Medical providers and other staff are leaving Montana State Hospital in waves, citing bad management, fear of reprisal and burnout as the Gianforte administration pushes for federal recertification.
Doctors take on dental duties
Because of Montana’s large geographic area and small population, recruiting dental professionals is difficult. Fifty of the state’s 56 counties are designated dental shortage areas, and some counties don’t have a single dentist who takes Medicaid. Pediatric dental specialists, in particular, are scarce in rural areas, with families sometimes driving hours to neighboring counties for…
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