HELENA, Mont. – Wednesday’s hearings on Montana Medicaid and expansion illustrated well the success of the program and the clear need for legislators to ensure that state residents have continuing access to crucial, life-saving health care. Hours of powerful testimony from countless Montanans made it clear that Medicaid is working as intended and should be maintained, the sunset removed.
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network advocates urge lawmakers to fully hear those voices, heed the will of their voters and remove the sunset clause from Montana Medicaid expansion, assuring tens of thousands retain access to life-saving health care.
“It was a clear and powerful message on Wednesday,” ACS CAN Montana Grassroots Manager Katharine Sutphen said. “Lives have been improved by Montana Medicaid, as has our health care infrastructure and business environment overall. Ending it would damage thousands of our friends, family and neighbors. Continuing Medicaid expansion is clearly the right decision for Montana.”
Montana Medicaid was put in place by bi-partisan action nearly a decade ago and has served as the foundation for a healthy, prosperous state as well as a hand up for those who sometimes work multiple jobs but still cannot afford private health care. More than half of Montana Medicaid enrollees no longer need the program within two years or less, either gaining benefits through an employer or making enough to transition to a marketplace plan. Montana Medicaid is there for people when they need it, so they don’t have to postpone visits to receive cancer and other important screenings or ignore concerning symptoms or a troubling lump.
ACS CAN thanks Reps. Ed Buttrey of Great Falls and Mary Caferro of Helena for their proposals to continue Medicaid expansion. Their recognition of the essential value of a healthy, stable workforce to the sustained success of the Treasure State aligns with the health and economic data on the benefits of the program.
Conversely, Senate Bill 62, essentially a Medicaid repeal effort, would serve to strip health care from tens of thousands of state residents, leading to economic stress and diminished health outcomes for many. People without health insurance too often choose to skip regular visits with providers and crucial screenings for breast, cervical and colon cancer. There will be 7,560 new cases of cancer diagnosed this year in Montana and more than 2,200 deaths. Regular screenings are crucial to drive down those numbers. This legislation would do the opposite.
“Nobody should be forced to choose between going to see a doctor and buying groceries,” Sutphen said. “Montana Medicaid is working. It is popular. And it is a massive benefit to our health care and business infrastructure. Extending this successful and needed program should be the priority for this session and we look forward to speaking with lawmakers on this issue.”
ACS CAN encourages individuals, businesses and organizations that are interested in getting involved in the fight against cancer to visit https://www.fightcancer.org/states/montana
