Healthcare

introduced · Montana · Legislature Dec 14, 2024

LC 624: Provide for phaseout of Medicaid expansion program

This bill directs Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services to stop enrolling new individuals in the expanded Medicaid program for able-bodied adults starting September 1, 2025, while allowing those already enrolled to continue coverage. The state will apply for a federal waiver to maintain funding for existing participants and may implement additional program requirements such as biannual eligibility reviews and lifetime benefit limits if federal funding decreases. The legislation also sets a termination date of June 30, 2025, for the current waiver and includes provisions for the program to end entirely once all enrolled participants have transitioned out of the expanded coverage.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts Medicaid expansion by stopping new enrollments and potentially limiting benefits, reducing healthcare access.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid Public Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Jan 10, 2025

LC 4194: Prohibit consent as a defense for physician assisted suicide

This bill prohibits physicians from using a patient's consent as a legal defense against homicide charges if they prescribe lethal medication for physician aid in dying. It directly affects doctors who might prescribe such medication and patients seeking end-of-life assistance through physician aid in dying. The law defines physician aid in dying specifically as a physician prescribing a lethal dose of medication for a patient to self-administer, while excluding the withholding or withdrawing of life-sustaining treatment. By stating that physician aid in dying is against public policy, the bill removes the ability of defendants to argue that a patient's consent makes the act legal. The changes take effect on July 1, 2025.

Topics ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeBill restricts physician aid in dying by prohibiting consent as a defense, effectively expanding criminal liability for doctors and limiting patient rights in end-of-life care.85% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts physician access to prescribing lethal medication, limiting patient access to end-of-life care options and reducing healthcare service availability.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Violent Crime

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Jan 7, 2025

LC 584: Revise the Medicaid expansion program

This bill revises Montana's Medicaid expansion program by introducing new fees and community engagement requirements for participants. It requires individuals aged 19 to 55 to complete 80 hours of work, education, or community activities each month to receive coverage, while also establishing taxpayer integrity fees for those with significant assets like excess real estate equity or multiple vehicles. The legislation creates a monthly fee of $100 plus additional charges based on asset value above certain thresholds, and imposes fees on nonprofit organizations with Medicaid-eligible members. These changes aim to maintain program integrity by linking benefits to active participation and limiting access for those with substantial financial resources.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill introduces new fees and work requirements for Medicaid expansion, effectively restricting access to healthcare coverage and increasing financial barriers for participants.85% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts Medicaid coverage by adding work requirements and fees, limiting patient access to healthcare services.92% confidence

Sub-Topics Medicaid

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 24, 2025

LC 1903: Eliminate the tobacco prevention advisory board

This bill eliminates the Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board in Montana by repealing the section of state law that established it. It modifies existing tobacco settlement funding rules to remove the requirement that money from the tobacco prevention account be used to support the advisory board. The changes affect how state funds from tobacco settlement proceeds are allocated, specifically allowing those funds to be used only for tobacco disease prevention programs and Children's Health Insurance Program matching without any portion going to the advisory board. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage and approval by the legislature.

Topics ✗ Budget & TaxesOpposes Budget & TaxesBill defunds the Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board by eliminating it and restricting how tobacco settlement funds can be used, limiting government oversight and program allocation.75% confidence ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill eliminates Tobacco Prevention Advisory Board and restricts tobacco settlement funding use, limiting public health initiatives and disease prevention programs.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Children's Health Public Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 18, 2025

LC 682: Prohibit sale of edible products that contain hemp

This bill prohibits the sale of any edible products containing hemp within Montana unless those products are authorized as drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It defines hemp to include the Cannabis sativa L. plant and all its parts, derivatives, and cannabinoids, while explicitly excluding synthetic cannabinoids. The law takes effect immediately upon passage and approval, directly impacting retailers and consumers by restricting access to hemp-based edibles.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts access to hemp-based edibles, limiting consumer choice and potentially reducing availability of certain health-related products.85% confidence

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 4, 2025

LC 2052: Create pregnancy center autonomy and rights of expression act

This bill prohibits Montana state and local governments from creating laws or policies that restrict pregnancy centers from operating without offering or promoting abortion services. It directly affects private nonprofit organizations that provide pregnancy-related counseling, testing, and support services to women and families. The legislation defines pregnancy centers as entities that promote childbirth and alternatives to abortion, while explicitly banning regulations that would require them to offer abortions, distribute abortion-inducing drugs, refer patients for abortions, or display pro-abortion advertisements. Additionally, the bill prevents governments from penalizing centers for providing prenatal care, parenting resources, or other pregnancy-related services based on their stance against abortion. The law includes specific definitions for terms like abortion, contraception, and ectopic pregnancy to clarify what services are protected under the act.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts regulations on pregnancy centers, limiting their ability to operate without abortion services, which may reduce access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare services.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Women's Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 22, 2025

LC 2455: Prohibiting vaccines allowed under an emergency use authorization or undergoing safety trials to be required

This Montana bill prohibits employers, government entities, and public accommodations from requiring individuals to receive vaccines that are only authorized under emergency use or are still undergoing safety trials. It also bans discrimination against people based on their vaccination status or whether they possess an immunity passport, with exceptions for schools and day-care facilities. The law allows employers to recommend vaccines and permits health care facilities to ask about vaccination status if they implement reasonable accommodations for unvaccinated individuals. These provisions aim to prevent mandatory vaccination requirements for certain vaccines while protecting individuals from discrimination related to their vaccination choices.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts vaccine requirements and limits public health initiatives by prohibiting mandates for vaccines under emergency use authorization, potentially weakening public health programs.85% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill protects workers' rights by prohibiting mandatory vaccines not fully approved, preventing discrimination based on vaccination status, and limiting employer mandates.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 24, 2025

LC 4192: Revise definition of sex in Montana law

This bill revises Montana state law to define "sex" strictly in biological terms based on chromosomes, reproductive systems, and physical characteristics present at birth, rather than gender identity or subjective experience. It directly affects numerous state statutes covering areas like employment discrimination, healthcare access, voting regulations, and public services by standardizing how sex is interpreted across the legal code. The key provision establishes that sex is limited to two biological categories - male and female - determined by genetic and physical indicators such as XX or XY chromosomes and reproductive anatomy. By amending over 50 existing sections of the Montana Code Annotated, the bill ensures consistent application of this definition in laws related to equal pay, anti-discrimination protections, hospital admissions, and other public policies.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts healthcare access by limiting sex definitions to biological terms, potentially excluding transgender individuals from gender-affirming care and related health services.85% confidence ✗ Labor & EmploymentOpposes Labor & EmploymentBill restricts employment discrimination protections by limiting sex definition to biological criteria, potentially excluding transgender workers from existing protections.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals Employment Discrimination

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 19, 2025

LC 69: Requiring acceptance of religious or conscience exemptions to immunizations

This bill requires schools, day care centers, and other licensed organizations in Montana to accept religious and informed consent exemptions from required immunizations without question or malice. It mandates that these entities cannot refuse enrollment or attendance based on such exemptions and faces potential loss of state funding if they violate this requirement. The legislation also establishes legal remedies for individuals who are denied exemptions, allowing them to file complaints and seek compensatory damages, attorney fees, and costs. Additionally, the bill clarifies the process for obtaining exemptions by specifying what documentation is needed for religious, medical, and informed consent claims while prohibiting state agencies from reviewing medical exemption forms to approve or deny them.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts immunization requirements and limits public health programs by allowing exemptions without question, potentially weakening disease prevention efforts.85% confidence

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introduced · Montana · Legislature Feb 20, 2025

LC 2201: Revise local board of health sanitation powers and rules

This bill amends Montana's public health laws to restrict local boards of health from adopting sanitation rules that exceed state standards and to exempt existing subsurface wastewater treatment systems from new local rule changes. It directly affects local health departments and private property owners with on-site wastewater systems by limiting their regulatory authority over sanitation enforcement. The key provision removes the ability of local boards to create stricter sanitation requirements than the state mandates while preserving their power to enforce state-level standards and address public health nuisances. Additionally, the bill ensures that wastewater systems already installed and functioning remain unaffected by future amendments to local health rules.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill restricts local health departments' ability to enforce stricter sanitation rules and exempts existing wastewater systems, limiting public health oversight and enforcement capabilities.75% confidence

Sub-Topics Public Health

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