As Montana Legislature starts, expect a fight over Medicaid
As the dust settles from this year’s midterm elections, a few things are becoming more clear about the 2019 legislative session — Republicans retained their majority but perhaps not the unity that carried them through 2017. And everyone is gearing up for a potentially fiery debate about what to do with Medicaid expansion.
The 2019 regular session will be the last for Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a Democrat who has tangoed with a Republican-dominated state House and Senate his entire tenure. Sometimes he’s been able to find a dance partner, and others a cold shoulder. While Democrats picked up a few legislative seats in November, they're still in the minority.
Three years ago, Bullock and a group of more moderate Republican lawmakers worked with minority Democrats to pass Medicaid expansion, which now provides health insurance to nearly a 10th of the state’s population but is set to expire next summer unless legislators vote to extend the program.
Gathered in the state Senate president’s office last week, three of the top Republican leaders all nodded and offered a collective “yup” when asked if Medicaid expansion would be the marquee battle of the 90-day session that kicks off Jan. 7.
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