Latest news with #Buttrey
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Longtime lawmaker appointed to lead the Montana Hospital Association
Rep. Ed Buttrey speaks about House Bill 60 during the 2025 Montana Legislature. (Photo courtesy of Montana Public Affairs Network). Following a national search, the Montana Hospital Association Board of Trustees today announced that it has appointed F. Edward 'Ed' Buttrey as President and chief executive officer for the Association. Buttrey will begin in the role on July 1. In this role, Buttrey will provide strategic leadership for association activities as well as provide direction to the association's charitable arm, the Montana Health Research and Education Foundation, and for-profit subsidiary, MHA Ventures. 'Ed is uniquely qualified to lead the Montana Hospital Association into its next chapter, thanks to his extensive experience in both healthcare policy and decades leading successful businesses. Ed understands the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare in Montana, the various solutions that can help or hinder them, and how to build and lead successful organizations. He has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to improving the lives of the people and communities he serves, and we believe Montana patients will continue to benefit from his vision and leadership,' said Craig Aasved, MHA Board Chair and CEO of Shodair Children's Hospital in Helena. Buttrey, a graduate of Montana State University, is a business owner and long-serving state legislator from Great Falls. As a lawmaker, he's worked on the state's healthcare policies and future, including improving access and affordability, and was the sponsor of the 2015 Montana Medicaid expansion bill and bills to renew and revise the program in 2019 and during the 2025 session. He has served as a board member on the Benefits Health System (Great Falls) Board of Trustees since 2015. In addition to his legislative work, Buttrey has extensive experience in business, with a focus on real estate, hospitality, technology and manufacturing. He has volunteered with numerous local organizations, including efforts aimed at improving healthcare accessibility, supporting youth programs, and promoting economic development in Great Falls and surrounding areas, according to the press release. 'This is an exciting opportunity to move from crafting policy to driving meaningful change in the healthcare system itself. For more than 14 years, I've worked hard on a variety of healthcare policy issues because I have seen firsthand the importance of healthcare to our neighbors, our communities and our local economies. While the MHA is actively involved in the healthcare policy space, it also supports our state's hospitals by providing quality improvement, safety, workforce development, emergency preparedness and other programs that enhance care in rural and frontier communities. I am deeply committed to applying both my legislative and business experience to build a stronger future for all Montanans who rely on the care our healthcare system provides,' Buttrey said. Buttrey will succeed Robert W. 'Bob' Olsen, who has served in leadership positions for the Association since 1989 and has led the organization as president and CEO since 2022. During the course of his more than 30-year career with the association, Olsen has made significant contributions to federal and state regulatory, policy and advocacy matters. He was awarded the MHA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 and the Frederick C. Morgan Individual Achievement Award from the Healthcare Financial Management Association in 2025. 'I've witnessed significant changes in Montana's healthcare system during that time, yet one constant has remained: The need to adapt. Montana patients and healthcare providers will be well served by Ed's innovative approaches, ability to bring together diverse stakeholders, and a longstanding commitment to improving healthcare for our state,' Olsen said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Second bill to restrict Medicaid expansion goes down, but one to help participants heard
Photo illustration by Getty Images. A bill to help people stay on Medicaid for 12 months without having to submit and resubmit paperwork unnecessarily would save time and money, supporters said this week. Sponsored by Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula, the bill would ensure parents, caretaker relatives, and Medicaid expansion participants won't have to reapply if they only have slight changes to income. The policy, called 'continuous eligibility,' is already in place in Montana for children and pregnant women, Howell said. They said it is good for people's health to have consistent coverage, and it streamlines administrative processes. 'I think we could consider this a red-tape relief bill,' Howell said. The bill, House Bill 386, includes an aspect of Medicaid expansion. A separate bill, House Bill 245, would keep Medicaid expansion in place and will be up for a hearing in the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety committee on Monday after clearing the House. This week, the Senate voted down a couple of other bills that would have restricted or phased out Medicaid expansion, although with warnings that the Legislature could find itself in a special session given anticipated cuts at the federal level. Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, is sponsor of House Bill 245, to continue Medicaid expansion. Buttrey said he does not believe a precipitous drop is imminent, and Montana must plan based on current law, not on 'what ifs.' 'Federal law has funding at 90-10. That's how we plan for it today because that's the federal law,' Buttrey said. 'If the federal law were to change, we would potentially have decisions to make.' Buttrey said he believes the chance Congress will reduce funding quickly is low. Currently, the state puts in $1 for every $9 from the feds. 'I don't think we'll see a massive drop, if any,' Buttrey said of federal support. 'If Congress did say, 'We do want to reduce the (match),' I believe it would be over time, so they would give states a chance to adjust.' If the match falls below 90%, to continue the program, the Legislature would have to appropriate money, the state would have to apply for a waiver to increase premiums to people in the program, or a combination of both. One day after voting down a bill to slowly sunset the program, the Senate turned down a bill by Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, that would have tied the program to work requirements, currently written into Montana law, but not approved at the federal level. Proponents of Medicaid expansion, which allows people at 138% of the poverty level to be insured, point to data that show small hospitals are on the ropes and will face closures without it. Trebas, though, said the health care system is already in trouble, and the smaller hospitals are a symptom, and larger ones are sinking, too. 'Small rural hospitals are simply the canary in the coal mine,' Trebas said. The Senate voted down his bill, Senate Bill 199, on a 23-27 vote with nine Republicans joining Democrats in opposition. In the House Human Services committee, proponents of continuous eligibility said it helps seasonal workers, and it helps hospitals and clinics have less uncompensated care and account for fewer uninsured patients. A fiscal analysis said it will cost $5 million to implement in just the first year and $10 million the second year, and Howell acknowledged — 'I won't lie' — the bill requires big money up front. However, they said the savings will be substantial, and the legislation will mean more Medicaid dollars going to health care instead of paperwork and bureaucracy. 'That's the goal of the program, to ensure that people are healthy,' Howell said. ' They're able to care for themselves and their families, get to work and participate in the community.' Supporters said it improves health because people don't avoid care, helps people seeking treatment for addiction stay in recovery, and uses taxpayer money efficiently. Jennifer Hensley, on behalf of the Montana Academy of Physician Assistants, said she would appeal to the frugality of legislators. 'If not passing this, you're stepping over dollars to pick up dimes, and that wouldn't make sense,' Hensley said. Other supporters include the Montana Medical Association, the Montana American Indian Caucus, the Montana Budget and Policy Center, the American Heart Association, and Catalyst Montana. The committee did not take immediate action on the bill Thursday.
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Medicaid expansion bill advances in Montana House
The Montana state capitol pictured after a late-night Senate vote on Jan. 9, 2025. (Micah Drew/Daily Montanan) The Montana House took a key vote Friday to approve Medicaid expansion 63-37 with bipartisan support, albeit with debate about its long-term viability. Rep. Ed Buttrey, R-Great Falls, described House Bill 245 as a partnership between health care interests and economic development. Buttrey said it is necessary to help keep Montanans working and small hospitals operating. The bill would continue Medicaid expansion, which is supporting nearly 80,000 Montanans. Buttrey said more than 20,000 businesses employ workers who participate in the HELP Act, or Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership Act. 'These businesses are the backbone of every Montana community, and they rely on our program to provide them with a healthy, trained and reliable workforce,' Buttrey said. The Montana Legislature adopted Medicaid expansion in 2015 and continued it in 2019, and the program will sunset at the end of June without legislative action. Some lawmakers argued the program is a necessary safety net, but some argued it will cost Montana too much in the future. Rep. Jane Gillette, R-Three Forks, said Medicaid Expansion is too costly, and she encouraged new legislators, or others getting community pressure, to support other bills that she said aim to improve critical access hospitals instead, or small rural facilities. 'I know you will be a hero in your hometown for voting for those bills,' Gillette said. Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, said the problem with the bill is the pattern in Washington, D.C. Currently, Montana pays $1 for every $9 the federal government pays, and Mercer said Montana wants that 'free money.' But he said Congress will eventually change the match so states will be shouldering a lot more. If it runs up to 38% instead, as is typical, he said, the state will feel political pressure to continue the program, but it won't have the money. 'It is a financial burden that we could not afford to bear,' Mercer said. Other lawmakers argued Montana can't afford to give it up. Buttrey said in states that haven't implemented expansion, small hospitals have closed, including 15 critical access hospitals in Texas, nine in Tennessee and seven in Georgia. 'We've done a good job for our small, rural hospitals, and it has made a big difference,' Buttrey said. He also said if the federal match drops, Montana law already protects taxpayers because the program's continuation is contingent on legislative action, premium increases, or both. Rep. Donavon Hawk, D-Butte, said he had to file for medical bankruptcy years ago, and he did not realize that Medicaid expansion could have helped him. However, he said with support from the program, he has been able to adopt and care for his niece and nephew. 'It was all because of Medicaid expansion,' Hawk said. Rep. Jerry Schillinger, R-Circle, argued some hospitals might be helped, but he sits on the board of his local hospital, and he believes it's a 'corporate bailout' for big facilities. 'It certainly hasn't been a benefit to ours,' Schillinger said. In response, Buttrey pointed to data showing how small hospitals in the state have been helped, receiving reimbursements through Medicaid expansion rather than having to provide charity care. He also said 84% of Montanans support the program. Without the program, he said, small hospitals seek loans to keep their doors open, or they pass medical levies, 'which increase property taxes.' Buttrey and Rep. Dave Bedey, R-Hamilton, also pushed back against some of Gillette's claims, such as that critical access hospitals are worse off under Medicaid expansion. 'Interesting set of unsubstantiated facts provided,' Bedey said. Buttrey also said the Montana program includes work requirements, although so far, the federal government has not approved waivers to allow them. Rep. Terry Falk, R-Kalispell, proposed an amendment to have Montana once again apply for a waiver to put those requirements into action. 'I think a safety net is important,' Falk said. 'I think compassion, though, doesn't always mean a complete giveaway.' Buttrey, however, recommended the debate over whether Montana apply for a waiver take place separate from his bill. He argued the amendment could lead to unnecessary legal challenges. Buttrey also said 83% of people on the program work, are caretaking for family, or are in school; 10% are disabled and unable to work; and the balance are either retired or looking for work, citing data from the Department of Labor and Industry. The amendment failed on a 35-65 vote. In pitching the program, Buttrey said it saves lives, returns dollars to the general fund, and puts people to work. He said no rural hospitals have closed under Medicaid expansion. 'Why are we having this debate? This debate is ideological. It's not based on the merits of the program, which are significant,' Buttrey said. The bill will head to the Senate if it passes in the House on third reading.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Two Republican Medicaid expansion bills advance, one from Democrats is tabled
The Montana State Capitol in Helena on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan) Medicaid expansion saves lives and saves money, proponents said — an estimated $27 million the last biennium, according to Rep. Ed Buttrey, sponsoring one bill to continue the program. 'Our program is a budget savings to the general fund, which is something that is pretty amazing,' Buttrey, R-Great Falls, said. Buttrey made his comments last week introducing his bill to continue Medicaid expansion, and it's among at least four addressing the issue this session. This week, at least two Republican bills are still advancing, including Buttrey's and a separate bill that directs the program's phase out. However, a key proposal from Democrats to increase its reach died Tuesday. Medicaid expansion started in the state in 2015 and was reauthorized in 2019, but it's slated to sunset this summer without legislative action. In committee Tuesday, Rep. James Reavis, D-Billings, said he was pleased to support Buttrey's bill, House Bill 245, given the personal testimony heard the previous week. Reavis cited a Montanan who had a stomachache and only went to the doctor because of Medicaid — and learned they needed emergency surgery. He said one woman with Hodgkin lymphoma told him she was alive only because of the program. 'The testimony we heard from last week's hearing was powerful, emotional and compelling,' Reavis said. The House Human Services committee voted 14-7 to advance HB 245, which Buttrey characterized as a continuation of the current Medicaid expansion program. The program currently covers nearly 80,000 Montanans living below 138% of the federal poverty level — or up to about $21,000 for a single adult, around minimum wage. Although the committee approved Buttrey's bill to keep the program going, it tabled House Bill 230, which would have augmented Medicaid expansion to include things like a customer service component and reopening some of the offices of public assistance that had closed for budget reasons in 2017. Rep. Mary Caferro, D-Helena, sponsored the bill, along with more than four dozen other legislators, and her attempt to amend it by paring back some of its additions failed in committee Tuesday. Legislators voted 12-9 to table it, although some expressed support for taking up improved customer service in another form, a theme in public comment. In an earlier hearing, Michelle Lewis, of Butte, testified to the difficulties of trying to navigate eligibility, having turned in at least 50 pages of documentation, plus information on wages and bank statements. 'Improving the hotline experience is really important,' said Lewis, in support of 'continuous eligibility' and better customer service. A separate bill on Medicaid expansion, Senate Bill 199 from Sen. Jeremy Trebas, R-Great Falls, was heard Monday, but the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety committee had not taken action on it Tuesday. Trebas described it as the 'most sustainable' of the options on the table, one he said would maintain the status quo from 2019 but ensure 'community engagement,' or a requirement that people on the program also work. No one spoke in support of it, but Trebas said he believes it aligns with the direction the new Trump administration is going with work requirements. After the House committee meeting Tuesday, Rep. SJ Howell, D-Missoula and vice chairperson of the Human Services committee, said Democrats are likely to propose individual components of expanding the program, such as continuous eligibility and better customer service, as separate legislation. However, Howell also said if SB 199 is approved, they are concerned it could put a complete halt to Medicaid expansion because the bill is strictly tied to a work requirement. The feds have approved waivers that allow work requirements, but if a waiver isn't approved in the timeline the bill lays out, Howell said the bill might compromise expansion altogether. Howell said most work requirements have been struck down in federal court, and the bill doesn't allow for that outcome. 'That is playing with fire for 80,000 Montanans,' Howell said. 'We can't predict what's going to happen in Congress, we can't predict how quickly or slowly things will move, and that could end the program.' Gov. Greg Gianforte has included Medicaid expansion in his budget for the upcoming biennium. However, his office has said he wants 'strong work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents,' KFF has reported. The debate over Medicaid expansion is taking place in the wake of significant economic benefit to the state reported by economists and the health care industry, but it's also underway in the midst of concern in Montana about cost and the federal debt. 'When I was younger, the novel idea for health insurance was get a job,' said Senate Majority Leader Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, in a meeting with reporters on Tuesday. On the opening day of the session, McGillvray told fellow lawmakers the federal health care programs Medicaid and Medicare are $1.1 trillion in the red, 'hemorrhaging money,' and Montana can help. 'Every legislator in this room has an obligation and an opportunity to do something about that at the state level,' McGillvray said to the Senate. 'We need to take action.' Montanans, though, lined up this month to tell legislators to back the bills to continue Medicaid expansion — and to oppose one to phase it out. Bailey Torgerson, of Bozeman, said she has had diabetes since she was two-and-a-half years old, and Medicaid expansion helped her pay for things like a $10,000 insulin pump and afford to go to college. Torgerson, who gave testimony via a video presentation during discussion of HB 245, said she and her husband are now able to sign onto a program besides Medicaid. Buttrey said that's the case with most people insured through Medicaid expansion — they're insured for 22 months on average, debunking the myth that once people are on the program, they never leave. Buttrey also said the program is budget neutral through the Affordable Care Act, funded by rate cuts to hospitals and other revenue sources, and Montana will send dollars to the federal government as a result whether it funds expansion or not. Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, is sponsoring Senate Bill 62, which would phase out Medicaid expansion. Glimm's bill squeaked out of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Safety committee on a 6-5 vote with Sen. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings, joining Democrats to oppose it. Glimm described it as a 'soft unwind' rather than a hard stop, allowing people who are qualified to stay on the program, preventing new people from enrolling, and removing those who become unqualified. 'It eventually would shrink the rolls of Medicaid expansion,' Glimm said. The federal government pays 90% of the program to the state's 10%, and an economist recently reported the money from the feds translates into $775 million of economic activity in Montana. At a hearing last week, no one expressed support for Glimm's bill. Opponents said it would hurt farmers, vulnerable patients, tribal families, college students and rural Montanans. Carole Lankford, with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribal Council, said she has made it a priority to ensure the most basic needs of her constituents are met. She said the bill would have 'catastrophic' consequences for tribal health. 'It will cause a reduction in jobs and may force the closure of tribal health facilities,' Lankford said. 'Health care costs will go up, which will be felt by many families, including children.' A recent report on the impacts of Medicaid expansion on Indian Country in Montana said it has improved mortality rates, extending a person's life 1.4% compared to the period prior to expansion. It said 40% of tribal members stopped skipping routine medical care because of cost. Jasmine Krotkov, representing the Montana Farmers Union, said many farmers and ranchers are self-employed, and they don't have access to coverage from employers. Medicaid expansion has supported not just them, Krotkov said, but it has allowed rural health providers to offer more services, benefiting all Montanans. 'Farming and ranching families who get the health care they need can return to work and school more quickly, and stay in the workforce longer, and stay productive,' Krotkov said. 'Rural Montanans have a right to live full, secure and productive lives.' The legislation to continue Medicaid expansion drew similar support. The debate over expansion is taking place following redetermination in Montana, the process to confirm that people on the program were qualified for it. Caferro's bill would have addressed some of the shortcomings that came to light through the process — and eliminated the existing work requirement — and at least a couple of ideas from her bill could reappear as separate legislation. Some Montanans said they waited hours for help on the phone in their attempts to keep their insurance, but never heard responses to their questions. Some said they filed paperwork multiple times, but never heard back from the Department of Public Health and Human Services. Buttrey's bill keeps a work requirement intact, and he said he anticipates the Trump administration would approve it. However, both he and Caferro said people insured through Medicaid expansion do work. In his presentation, Buttrey outlined data from a Montana Department of Labor and Industry report regarding the number of people on Medicaid who work: 72% are actively working; 4% are in school; 7% are caretaking; 2% are retired; 10% are acutely ill or disabled and unable to work; and 3% are looking for work. The report lists 2% as 'other.' Buttrey also said his bill would require approval for Medicaid expansion from the legislature every time it meets in case the state decides it can't afford it at some point.
