Montana Medicaid Expansion

Lawmakers are hearing public testimony on Republican Rep. Ed Buttrey's bill to continue Montana's Medicaid expansion program while including work requirements and adding some funding sources.

Buttrey says when he sponsored the Medicaid expansion bill in 2015, and still today, the goal was to get people healthy so they could work and eventually afford their own health insurance.

He says his bill improves on the current system by providing health care for people who need it while creating work or training responsibilities for able-bodied people who are covered and ensure taxpayer money is well managed.

Medical providers have said they support both bills.

Opponents said Saturday they were concerned that the work requirements would create reporting burdens that could result in tens of thousands of people losing their health care coverage.