Ron Wiens, head of Big Sandy Medical Center, a critical access hospital in Montana, faces budget rigidity partly due to delayed Medicaid applications. Wiens’ facility, which primarily accommodates Medicaid-eligible seniors, suffers financially when Medicaid reimbursements are delayed. The proposed One Big Beautiful Big Act could exacerbate financial challenges by increasing Medicaid eligibility reviews to twice a year, potentially delaying reimbursements further.
Wiens expressed concerns that new Medicaid work requirements might strip many Montanans of coverage, leading to more uninsured patients at his hospital. This could result in increased bad debt for the facility. Analysts predict that 31,000 Montanans could lose Medicaid if the bill passes, primarily affecting rural areas. The proposed Medicaid changes would mean fewer reimbursement funds for healthcare providers in Montana.
Senate discussions on the bill have been ongoing since June, with Montana Senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy reticent about its impacts. Daines, with a history of opposing the Affordable Care Act, claims Medicaid reforms are necessary for sustainability. “We’ve got to take able-bodied males who are laying on the couches at home and get them back to work and off of Medicaid,” Daines argued on Fox News.
Despite concerns, Montana hospitals have not openly lobbied against the bill, as they believe the state could avoid severe impacts compared to others. Yet, CEO Bob Olsen of the Montana Hospital Association warns that if poorly implemented, eligibility checks could mirror Arkansas’s situation, removing eligible individuals from Medicaid rolls.
Montana’s healthcare providers remain skeptical about the bill’s benefits, with Olsen stating, “There’s nothing in this bill that improves health coverage, that improves health quality, that rules in or contains cost, or provides better access.” The healthcare sector awaits further legislative developments and their long-term effects on Montana’s health services.
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