Montana Democratic Party: 24,150 Children Booted From Health Insurance by Gianforte Administration

HELENA, Montana, Oct. 7 -- The Montana Democratic Party issued the following news release:

Nearly half the 55,000 Montanans who have lost health insurance coverage during Gianforte's Medicaid purge so far have been kids, according to a new report released by the Department of Health and Human Services.

"How we take care of our future generation is a reflection of who we are," said Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. "Governor Gianforte's decision to kick thousands of kids off their health insurance is wrong and ruinous for Montana families and communities."

The Gianforte Administration began the Montana Medicaid purge in the spring, enacting unnecessarily burdensome red tape requirements, including sending 19-page re-enrollment applications by snail mail, resulting in Montanans with life-threatening illnesses unable to get the medical care they need. Under his watch, health care access across Montana has been rolled back, including the shuttering of 20 percent of Montana nursing homes, a crippling shortage of ambulance services, and mental health systems that continue to fail Montanans. Gianforte's solution? Pay out-of-state consultants hundreds of dollars an hour to "fix" his failures.

In July, House and Senate Democrats sent Gianforte a letter asking him to pause the redetermination process until his administration can cut the unnecessary red tape.

"The Montana I know and love is fair, puts families first, and respects the freedom that comes from being healthy," said Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena. "The Gianforte administration has ignored this tragedy, and consequently the number of uninsured children has skyrocketed."

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BACKGROUND:

* Before Gianforte's purge about a third of all Montanans got their health insurance through Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids (CHIP).

* 96% of Montana Medicaid members are employed or caring for themselves or a loved one.

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Original text here: https://www.montanademocrats.org/news/24150-children-booted-from-health-insurance-by-gianforte-administration