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your homegrown newspaper May 15, 2024
Vol. 20, No. 35
Governor candidates speak on Medicaid expansion renewal
water supply pg. 6
caution urged pg. 12
sports pg. 18
Montana Free Press asked Republican, Democratic and Libertarian candidates if they would support reauthorizing the low-income health care program, which has in the past been the subject of vigorous debates in the Capitol. Here’s what they said. By Mara Silvers, Montana Free Press
M
ontana’s Medicaid expansion program, a public health insurance option for low-income adults, is scheduled to sunset in June 2025. The coverage is heavily funded by the federal government but is administered by the state health department. If Montana lawmakers and the governor don’t pass legislation next year to reauthorize the
ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE FARMER/MTFP. OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR PHOTO BY ELIZA WILEY CREDIT: ELIZA WILEY/MTFP
program, last renewed in 2019 on a single-vote margin, Montana’s health care landscape would change dramatically. Upwards of 85,000 eligible adults could stand to lose coverage, according to the state’s latest enrollment figures. The June primary ballots will have five Republican, Libertarian and Democratic candidates for governor. Those can-
didates, including incumbent Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican, and prominent Democratic challenger Ryan Busse, have wide-ranging views on how to run the state’s Medicaid program and whether they would support reauthorization. As part of our 2024 Election Guide project, Montana Free Press asked candidates for governor where they stand on expanded w w w.va l le yj our na l.net
Medicaid renewal via a written questionnaire. Here’s how they responded. (These answers were lightly edited for grammar but are otherwise presented verbatim.) WHAT WE ASKED: Montana is one of the states that expanded Medicaid access under the federal Affordable Care Act, bringing health coverage to previously uninsured populations.
As governor, would you sign a bill reauthorizing Montana’s expanded Medicaid program in its current form in 2025? GREG GIANFORTE Incumbent governor, Republican “The safety net of Medicaid should be there for those who truly need it, but it will collapse if all are allowed to climb
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