As a U. S. Senate committee continues to work behind closed doors on a healthcare plan, criticism of the version passed by the U. S. House mounts. An independent analysis commissioned by the Montana Healthcare Foundation (MHCF) projects that if the current health care bill in Congress – the American Health Care Act (AHCA) — is enacted, Montana’s Medicaid program would lose $4.8 billion in federal funding, and more than 70,000 adults enrolled through the recent Medicaid expansion would lose coverage by 2026.
The analysis, conducted by Manatt Health, takes an in-depth look at the U.S. House-passed AHCA and its impact on both health care coverage and the state budget. Although leadership in the U.S. Senate is crafting its own legislation, current options being considered still include core features of the AHCA, including capped funding for Medicaid and the elimination of Medicaid expansion funding.
“These cuts would hurt Montana’s most vulnerable residents, including children, seniors, and people with disabilities,” said MHCF CEO Dr. Aaron Wernham. “Furthermore, they would weaken the state’s healthcare system, threaten the viability of our rural hospitals, and put our state’s balanced budget at risk.”
