1+ hour, 58+ min ago   (255+ words) In July, the Montana Psychiatric Association started hearing that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana wasn’t fully reimbursing psychiatrists. Helena-based psychiatrist Julian Thorne sits on the association’s board. He explains that when a medical provider bills an insurance company,…...

1+ mon, 3+ day ago   (281+ words) Missoula resident Bethany Zulick recently decided she needed a career change. She kept thinking back to her time teaching English overseas. “It’s so exciting to me to watch someone learn a new word or have that spark of understanding,” she…...

2+ mon, 4+ day ago   (192+ words) Gov. Greg Gianforte and state health officials have agreed to withhold a pay bump for Medicaid providers. The move will resolve a budget shortfall for the public health insurance program. The state health department earlier this year told lawmakers that…...

2+ mon, 2+ week ago   (351+ words) A major health insurance company is leaving Montana, saying it’s no longer profitable to do business in the state. The move will force about 11,000 Montanans to choose different health plans next year. It’s part of a nationwide trend. PacificSource is…...

5+ mon, 3+ day ago   (248+ words) Hellgate Elementary Superintendent Molly Blakely in Missoula remembers when her district was hit with a proposed 18% increase in the cost of its health insurance plan. She was in her first year leading the school. “And then I sort of sat…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago   (167+ words) The Affordable Care Act Marketplace saw record enrollment in Montana last year at a little more than 77,000 people. That’s thanks in part to enhanced federal subsidies that help people afford monthly premiums for their health insurance. Those subsidies have expired…...

9+ mon, 2+ week ago   (495+ words) Lesa Evers, who’s 62, is logging onto her computer to shop for her health plan on the federal marketplace. “We’re going to go in and update the application,” she says. Evers retired from her job with the state health department nearly…...

10+ mon, 1+ week ago   (230+ words) The federal marketplace allows people who don’t get health insurance through their employer to buy their own plan. Roughly 77,000 Montanans buy that coverage. In 2021, Congress passed subsidies that help cover premiums based on a person’s income. But those subsidies will…...

1+ year, 1+ week ago   (172+ words) The Trump administration is cutting funding for insurance navigator programs by 90% at the end of August. Cover Montana used to have 18 staffers to meet Montanans in person or talk over the phone. They helped sort through public insurance options or…...

11+ mon, 3+ week ago   (205+ words) Federal rules say state Medicaid offices should process applications within 45 days. According to the latest data, 60% of April’s Medicaid applications took longer. That’s higher than usual, but most months, about 40% of Montana’s Medicaid applications miss the federal deadline. Heather O’Loughlin…...