Montana Governor Signs Medicaid Expansion Bill

On April 29, 2015, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed legislation to implement Medicaid expansion via the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Act. The HELP Act legislation, Senate Bill (SB) 405, is a non-traditional Medicaid expansion that incorporates some commercial elements, including copayments and premiums. The HELP Act authorizes the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) to seek a federal Medicaid waiver to implement the provisions of the expansion. An estimated 45,000 low-income, uninsured non-disabled adults are in the Montana Medicaid expansion population, in addition to nearly 105,700 categorically eligible beneficiaries . . .