New report details impact of Medicaid expansion in Native American communities
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
News from the Montana Healthcare Foundation
MONTANA — On Jan. 16 the Montana Healthcare Foundation released a report that analyzes the impact Montana’s Medicaid expansion has had on the health and economies of Native American communities in Montana. The analysis shows that the HELP Act – which expanded Medicaid to cover adults with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level – has had a profound impact on the health and economic well-being of Native American communities. Among many important findings in the report:
Uninsurance rates declined from roughly 40% to 20%.
Between 2015 (before Medicaid was expanded) and 2019 (prior to the COVID pandemic), Native American mortality rates improved by roughly 1.4% in Montana, in contrast with non-expansion states in which Native American mortality increased slightly. This is consistent with national research that shows mortality declines in states that expand Medicaid.
Tribal and urban Indian healthcare leaders reported that Medicaid expansion allowed them to add new services such as behavioral health and dental, add more providers, extend office hours, and decrease wait times for care.
Unemployment rates plummeted by 46% in counties that overlap with reservations – more than double the median decline in non-reservation counties.
The share of households with medical debt in reservation counties declined from 33% to 10%.
The report is available online at: https://mthf.org/resource/economic-effects-of-medex-on-tribes/. This link also includes fact sheets from individual tribes that demonstrate the impacts in their communities (additional fact sheets will be added as they are finalized).
