“The department’s proposal represents a threat to the health care of thousands of Montanans,” Stafman, chair of the committee, said in a statement. “It makes zero sense to take an effective program and make it less efficient, less fair, and more bureaucratic. If the department moves forward with this misguided proposal, they will damage Montanans’ health and hurt the bottom lines of businesses that rely on Medicaid to cover their employees.”
Opponents to ending continuous Medicaid eligibility for people suffering with severe disabling mental illness argued the Legislature did not request changes for that program, which covers about 1,000 people.
There are already fraud and abuse measures within the Medicaid system, said Kristin Page-Nei, whose brother is covered under the program. “We do not need another layer of red tape putting up another barrier.”
Separately, the waiver application notes Montana expects a pending August 2019 Medicaid expansion application that sought to add work requirements and increase premiums for some will be rejected by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Biden Administration has overturned work requirements in several states whose programs were approved under the Trump Administration.
“This is not the time to experiment or test policies that risk a substantial loss of health coverage or benefits, especially for individuals and communities significantly impacted by COVID-19 and other health inequities,” CMS said in a February statement.
