This background report provides an overview of Montana’s Medicaid program. It describes who is eligible, their health care needs, and how Medicaid coverage helps enrollees address those needs. It also details how the program is structured and administered in Montana and its federal and state funding sources. The report was commissioned by the Montana Healthcare … Continued
This fourth annual report on Montana Medicaid shows consistent improvement in health coverage, access to services, health outcomes, and reduction in costs for enrollees. Montana Medicaid provides health care coverage to nearly 300,000 Montanans with low income, including children, pregnant women, people with disabilities, and adults. We produce the Medicaid in Montana annual report to … Continued
This analysis of Montana Medicaid claims data shows that more than half (54%) of Medicaid members with behavioral health needs receive care exclusively from primary care providers, and 81% of the Medicaid population that accessed behavioral health care received at least some of those services from a primary care practice. As Montana seeks to build … Continued
This report by The George Washington University offers recommendations for minimizing coverage loss for people enrolled in Medicaid as Montana implements new state and federal policies in the coming year. The report estimates that roughly 71,000 Montanans could lose coverage by January 2024 and offers recommendations to minimize coverage loss among people eligible for Medicaid. … Continued
This new report on Montana Medicaid finds a decrease in ER visits, hospitalizations, and associated costs with each year of enrollment in Medicaid expansion. This third annual report on Medicaid in Montana also showed that with these better health outcomes, the health care costs for expansion enrollees declined each year they had coverage – and … Continued
This updated study of Montana’s Medicaid expansion program finds it continues to support economic activity and improve health while imposing no net fiscal cost to the state. New findings show that Medicaid expansion continues to reduce un-insurance, improve health care access and use, and stimulate the economy by bringing federal dollars into the state and … Continued
This report on Montana Medicaid finds that Medicaid expansion led to lower use of high-cost emergency services and increased access to lower-cost primary care and outpatient specialty services. This second annual report on Medicaid in Montana also showed that Montana spends a lower proportion of the state general fund to finance its Medicaid program than … Continued
Researchers at George Washington University submitted this memo in response to Montana’s request for public comments on its draft amendments to the Medicaid HELP (also known as Medicaid expansion) and WASP (Montana’s Waiver for Additional Services and Populations) waivers. Their findings estimate that ending 12-month continuous eligibility would reduce the enrollment periods of about 21,500 … Continued
Senate Bill 100 proposed increasing how often the state verifies the eligibility of recipients to receive benefits under Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). To better understand how these changes might affect the health of people currently in the program, we spoke with Professor Leighton Ku and Erin Brantley at George Washington University. … Continued
This report looks at the economic effects of Medicaid expansion in Montana. Findings show that Montana’s Medicaid expansion introduces $650 million into the economy each year, supporting 6,000 new jobs and $400 million in personal income. Although Montana pays for a share of this coverage, the program’s savings and the revenue generated by increased economic … Continued