State Rep. Ed Buttrey, the Republican state lawmaker who shepherded Medicaid expansion through the Montana legislature, said charges of fraud and abuse made by U.S. Sen. Steve Daines about the implementation of the expansion are no longer true.
Daines told a U.S. Senate subcommittee on health care in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 30 that Montana’s program was more at risk for fraud and abuse that of other states.
Buttrey told the Great Falls Tribune that problems with Montana's Medicaid expansion pointed out by Daines had caused concern among Solutions Caucus members. The Solutions Caucus members broke with their fellow Montana Republican lawmakers to bring Medicaid expansion to the state.
One of Daines’ complaints was lack of income verification requirements before people were enrolled in the program. Daines also charged that undocumented people could take advantage of the program.
Buttrey said Montana now requests and verifies wage income information from applicants and that the state verifies Medicaid applicants for U.S. citizenship.
Another of Daines' criticisms concerned improper payouts to people who had died, moved out of state or were otherwise ineligible. Buttrey told the Great Falls Tribune that the Department of Labor and Industry had put safeguards in place in 2019 to stop benefit payments to people found to be ineligible, deceased or no longer living in Montana. That oversight has saved thousands of dollars, Buttrey told the Tribune.
The Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) oversees the Medicaid expansion program in Montana. The DPHHS put in place other new measures in 2019 that have reduced the potential for waste, Buttrey told the Tribune.
Sheila Hogan, DPHHS director, defended the Medicaid program in remarks to the Tribune. She said her department runs an effective Medicaid program while following all applicable laws and regulations.
Daines’ spokeswoman, Julia Doyle, told the Tribune that Daines remains concerned about waste, fraud and abuse in Montana’s Medicaid expansion program because Buttrey and his allies were unable to strengthen language regarding work requirements and reforms added to the legislation. She told the Tribune that Daines will continue to monitor the implementation of the Medicaid expansion.
Buttrey told the Tribune that he and his colleagues did not create the federal Medicaid expansion law, but they believe implementing the program is in Montana’s best interest.
“... As state lawmakers, we use the tools that are given to us to make the best decisions for our citizens and our state,” he said.
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