OpEd: Setting the Record Straight on Medicaid

Plain and simple - people get sick. Right now, more than 250,000 predominantly low-income Montanans get help with health care through Medicaid - a state-federal partnership. Montana has overall and primary responsibility, while the Feds pick up most of the costs, averaging 80% (of total Medicaid spending). In 2022, the Federal government provided $1.8 billion to cover health care for Medicaid-eligible Montanans who live in every county across the Big Sky. Remarkably, two-thirds of Medicaid recipients live in our rural communities.

So, what is Medicaid, and who does it serve? Not only does M...