LTE: Get Medicaid bill passed
Cindy Gockel, Montana Standard
When something is good for all of Montana, Democrats and Republicans will work together to make it happen. Our Republican and Democratic Legislators in the Montana House did just that when they voted to pass HB 658, a bipartisan compromise bill to continue Medicaid expansion.
In the weeks since HB 658 was first heard in the House, both sides of the isle have worked together to amend the bill to the point where it would be acceptable to both sides, and the state overall. HB 658 in its current form exempts the majority of Medicaid expansion enrollees from reporting requirements, and institutes safeguards to ensure that no one loses their coverage because of an administrative mistake. This bill is not perfect, but it represents the best and only opportunity to continue a program that has been seen as very successful and beneficial to so many Montanans.
Thanks go out to Ray Shaw, our District 71 Representative, as he was part of the working majority fighting for the health coverage of one in ten Montanans and over 350 Madison County residents. The bill has now moved to the Senate, where I hope Senator Jeff Welborn will follow Rep. Shaw’s lead.
Senator Welborn needs to do everything he can to defend the well-being of his constituents by ensuring that HB 658 gets to the governor’s desk quickly and without further amendments.