HELENA – The state is making $1 million in coronavirus relief funds available to rural and safety net health care providers to help Montana residents find comprehensive and affordable insurance coverage, Gov. Steve Bullock said.
He said for Montanans to recover from this respiratory illness they need ongoing access to routine care and other issues that may be related to COVID-19.
“When more Montanans have access to care that too ensures our urban, our rural and our tribal clinics can keep the doors open to serve folks in communities, both for COVID and non-COVID-19 reasons,” he said at a news conference Thursday at the Helena Indian Alliance and the Leo Pocha Memorial Clinic. “The public health benefits that ensuring Montanans have quality affordable care and coverage, particularly in the middle of pandemic, cannot be understated, neither can the economic benefits. When people lose their job they also face the possibility of losing their health coverage."
Those newly uninsured people are less likely to seek necessary medical care and more likely to face financial catastrophe if they do have a medical emergency, he said, adding that the bill for a person who is hospitalized for COVID-19 usually goes as high as $20,000.
“Making sure Montanans have access to health care means we will have a health economy with faster economic recovery," Bullock said. "In order to do so, we must make sure that Montanans who need affordable care coverage can get it and keep their families safe.”
He said $300,000 of the $1 million will be made available as a health care outreach assistance program in partnership with Cover Montana, which is overseen by the Montana Primary Care Association to support providers and coordinate outreach and enrollment effort. The remaining $700,000 will be divided into $30,000 grants to providers to support onsite certified application counselors to help Montanans find and sign up for comprehensive health coverage.
“This is a historic day and we are so happy to be in partnership with the governor’s office and the state of Montana to look at how to continue to fulfill the mission of the Primary Care Association, which … is equity for every Montanan,” said Cindy Stergar, CEO of the Montana Primary Care Association.
She said it was 55 years ago on Thursday that Medicare and Medicaid were signed into law, so it was nice to align the governor’s announcement with that effort.
Stergar said Cover Montana helps people through the complexity of enrolling in insurance plans. She said she they have partners that include the Helena Indian Alliance.
“When we live in the chaos of COVID, anything we can do to help each other in Montana be healthy and keep our economy running, we will do,” she said.
Eligible providers include Montana’s hospitals, community health centers, urban Indian clinics, and the eight Tribal nations in Montana that now employ or will hire certified application counselors to help people find coverage. The funds can be used to train or pay for staffing costs for certified application counselors or promotion of coverage options through open enrollment and beyond.
These counselors are typically based in a health care provider’s office and can help people get affordable health coverage.
Open enrollment is Nov. 1 through Dec. 15, according to a news release from the governor's office. People who have lost employer coverage can apply within 60 days of losing coverage and people who have lost income may be eligible for price breaks on insurance coverage through healthcare.gov, for Medicaid, or Healthy Montana Kids. Montanans can apply for Medicaid and Healthy Montana Kids at any time.
Providers can apply for the $30,000 grants on a first-come, first-serve basis starting on Aug. 10, the governor's office said. Providers must have a certified application counselor or will use the funds to hire and train one. For more information, visit covidrelief.mt.gov.
Reporter Phil Drake is our eye on the state capitol. For tips, suggestions or comment, he can be reached at 406-231-9021 or pdrake@greatfallstribune.com.
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