Nearly 100,000 Montanans Stripped of Their Medicaid Coverage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 23, 2023
CONTACT
press@montanademocrats.org
Helena, MT – Gov. Greg Gianforte’s administration released its Medicaid disenrollment numbers for October, revealing that 92,815 Montanans have lost health insurance under Gianforte’s purge.
“Time and time again, Gianforte has failed hard-working Montanans by kicking them off their health care,” said Sheila Hogan, executive director of the Montana Democratic Party. “Tens of thousands of families across the state are suffering because of his poor leadership. It’s hurting their health and it’s hurting their pocketbooks.”
Gianforte’s Department of Health and Human Services began this mass disenrollment in the spring and has made it unduly complicated to re-enroll in the program, sending a burdensome 19 pages to applicants by snail mail.
Families who have lost coverage describe chaos and confusion with long call wait times as they attempt to reach DPHHS and contradictory letters arriving in the mail days apart. Missoula resident Rachel Kantor said her family never received a notice they were dropped or given a chance to appeal. Their health care cards just stopped working one day.
“We have had to pay all of the kids’ medical bills out of pocket since July,” Kantor said, adding that even if they are able to enroll in private insurance, that won’t kick in until November.
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