Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Bullock Seeks Advice On Continuing Medicaid Expansion; Program Expires in 2019

Jackie Yamanaka

Governor Steve Bullock is touring Montana to listen to providers about the health and economic impacts of the state’s Medicaid Expansion program, also known as the HELP Act. It’s set to expire at the end of next year unless the 2019 Montana Legislature acts.

The tour comes after the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the University of Montana issued its report.

Bullock listened providers tell stories about their patients during a Thursday morning visit to Riverstone Health, a Community Health Care facility in Billings. Providers talked about on how patients are receiving preventive care,screenings and guidance for pre-existing conditions like diabetes. They say some patients are getting visits with primary care providers for the first time because of Medicaid Expansion.

"We’ve had the opportunity to do it and we actually see some incredible results, not just for the 93,000 folks," said Bullock. "They’re just pretty darned profound, when an individual’s life has been fundamentally changed."

"I don’t it should be a surprise that when Medicaid Expanded utilization jumped pretty dramatically," says Riverstone Health President/CEO John Felton. "There’s a huge amount of pent up demand."

The HELP Act was passed by the 2015 Montana Legislature. Now the Democrat is confronting the possibility that Republicans will retain control of the 2019 Montana Legislature leaving the future of Medicaid Expansion uncertain. He's seeing input from Montanans on next steps, "How can we make sure folks understand economically, socially, long term. What more can we do to ‘sell it’ to Montanans to make sure they understand what a difference this makes?"

It's a challenge when people in the private sector are seeing their premiums rise, says State Representative Kathy Kelker of Billings.

Bullock says some of the increasing costs of health insurance comes from the uncertainty from the Republican controlled Congress and the Trump Administration’s actions regarding the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

And that’s what backers of a tobacco tax increase proposal are looking at - a funding source.  They’re seeking to put on the ballot a $2 increase in the cigarette tax, as well as an increase on the tax of other tobacco products. The money raised would be for Medicaid expansion, veterans services, and other issues.

Bullock says he supports the idea.

"I think it’s an important conversation for Montana to have and I think that the opportunity is there to have that permanent source for expansion and other things," he says. "So I’m excited they got it qualified and they’ll be hitting the streets soon."

If proponents get enough signatures by the June deadline, the initiative would appear on the November ballot.