Advocates of expanding Medicaid in Montana recently showed their support at a summit hosted by the Montana Budget and Policy Center and Partnership for Montana's Future, where they presented information on the people who would benefit from expansion, according to a KXLH report.
Kevin Howlett of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Health Service was one of the presenters at the summit, and he highlighted how expansion would provide health coverage for 20,000 Native Americans in Montana.
Medicaid expansion also has the support of the Montana Hospital Association, as it could help hospitals across the state recover more of their costs. Medicaid reimburses hospitals roughly 70 percent of their costs; however, if individuals aren't covered by Medicaid or private insurance those costs many times go unpaid, according to the report.
Support for expansion in Montana hasn't gone unnoticed, and although Medicaid expansion failed to pass in Montana's legislature last year, Gov. Steve Bullock (D) has made expanding the government program a top priority for 2015.
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