Medicaid

Medicaid serves about 95,000 Montanans of modest means.  I've seen first-hand the importance of Medicaid in providing quality health care for tens of thousands of Montana children, pregnant women, mothers, disabled persons, and senior citizens.  During last year’s budget debate, I successfully fought against drastic cuts in the Medicaid program.  I am committed to strengthening and improving the Medicaid so it can continue to provide a safety net of health and long-term care services for future generations.  With one in five Montanans uninsured, we should work to strengthen this critical part of our health care safety net.  I want to look for ways to improve the program, promoting prevention, and finding ways to deliver quality long-term care services more efficiently to keep the program strong.

Another big priority of mine is to make sure that trade displaced workers have access to health care while they are training for a new job.  In 2002, I worked hard to provide such assistance to trade-displaced workers, farmers and ranchers.  That program, called Trade Adjustment Assistance, now provides assistance by covering 65 percent of health insurance premiums.  That program still needs adjustment. As part of my bill to reauthorize Trade Adjustment Assistance, I am working to improve this program to make sure it delivers on its promises of access to health services for displaced workers and retires. 

Related Links

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• The official Medicare website
• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Social Security Administration