Gianforte’s Plan To Inform Montanans They’re No Longer Eligible for Medicaid is…. Snail Mail.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 29th, 2023

CONTACT
hadley@montanademocrats.org

The Admin’s “eligibility redetermination” seems unprepared to reach the estimated 48k Montanans who will be kicked off Medicaid

Helena, MT –  Starting in April, Governor Greg Gianforte’s administration is moving forward with their “plan” to redetermine the eligibility of every Montanan on Medicaid. However, the state plans to notify Montanans on whether or not their health care coverage has been ended by mail only – and will kick Montanans off their health insurance not only if they are deemed ineligible, but also if they do not respond to that paper mail notification. This raises serious concerns that many Montanans still eligible for Medicaid who miss the paper notice due to a move will not learn that they’ve been kicked off their health insurance until they try to receive needed care. 

The Administration has announced their plans to mail Montana Medicaid enrollees “a letter” about their health care coverage: “This notification may require individuals to take action in order to maintain coverage.”

Legislative Democrats have pushed the Administration to reach out to Montanans who will be affected by other means – to ensure that families who have moved or had an address change will still receive notice. 

Lower-income families are twice as likely as their wealthy counterparts to “experience frequent moves," according to a 2015 study in the Social Service Review.

The Gianforte Administration’s refusal to implement a reasonable plan for redeterminations has created the very real possibility that Montana’s Medicaid enrollees may lose their health care simply because they never saw the paperwork. 

According to the Health Insurance Simulation Model, 48,000 Montanans currently enrolled on Medicaid are expected to lose their coverage by June 2024. [Table B.4]

“For many Montanans, Medicaid is the difference between life and death,” says Robyn Driscoll, chair for the Montana Democratic Party. “Gianforte is forcing Montanans to jump through hoops to prove to the state they still deserve to be able to afford their insulin, or their cancer treatment. And by only notifying Montanans by snail mail, the administration has made it crystal clear they have no interest in actually making sure Montanans can jump through those hoops. Shameful.” 

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