Montana Senate revives Medicaid expansion bill, sends it to finance committee

The Montana Legislature is expected to continue the state's Medicaid expansion program, but a bill to do so faced a detour in its path to approval Friday.

House Bill 658 lifts the June expiration date on the program that extends Medicaid coverage to 96,000 low-income Montanans and adds work requirements. It cleared the House on a 61-37 vote last month, but on Friday was tabled in a Senate committee — in an effort led by one of its co-sponsors — before being put back on track by the full Senate.

The bill is carried by Rep. Ed Buttrey, a Republican from Great Falls who brought the legislation that originally expanded Medicaid in Montana in 2015. Expansion covers those earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level. That's $17,236 for an individual and $29,435 for a family of three.

House Bill 658 is the remaining vehicle to continue expansion. Democrats strongly opposed the work requirements originally proposed in the bill, but supported it after their own party's bill was defeated and Buttrey's legislation was heavy amended. The changes drastically reduced the number of people expected to lose coverage under the work provision, from 59,000 to an estimated 4,000.

Read more: https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/govt-and-politics/montana-senate-revives-medicaid-expansion-bill-sends-it-to-finance/article_72dda3cc-95e6-5b65-96c1-1e4b78da5b01.html