HELENA – Democratic lawmakers in Montana said they are opposed to a plan to end 12-month continuous eligibility for people who qualify for Medicaid expansion or another program that provides health coverage for those with a disabling mental illness.
The Department of Public Health and Human Services is seeking federal permission to eliminate the continuous eligibility provision for Medicaid expansion at the direction of the Legislature, the agency said in a draft application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
It is seeking the same change for the mental health program because it would reduce the administrative burden to have consistent eligibility requirements, said Darci Wiebe, the administrator of the health department’s Health Resources Division.
About 100,000 Montanans are covered under the Medicaid expansion program that provides health insurance for people who are not eligible for traditional Medicaid coverage, but do not qualify for federal subsidies on policies sold under the Affordable Care Act.
Source: Democrats Oppose Changes to Medicaid Expansion Eligibility / Flat Head Beacon