Montana Health Insurance

How healthy is living
in Montana?

Montana is 29th in the 2012 edition of America's Health Rankings® by the United Health Foundation.

The good news:

• Public health funding has increased by $20 per person over the past five years; Montana is ranked 19th in public health funding.
• Obesity and diabetes rates are low compared to the rest of the nation.

The bad news:

• The current ranking of 29th is the lowest scored by Montana since the first report, which was issued in 1990.
• The percentage of children in poverty increased by nearly 6 percentage points from 2011 to 2012.

Montana's best and worst category rankings:

• Diabetes – 6th
• Air Pollution – 10th
• Cancer Deaths – 14th
• Children in Poverty – 45th
• Occupational Fatalities – 47th
• Immunization Coverage – 49th

more details

• See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Montana.
• Trust for America's Health ia another source for key Montana health quality findings. In addition, 2010's federal health reform, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), included the creation of a prevention fund to provide more than $16 billion over the next 10 years to invest in effective, proven prevention efforts, like childhood obesity prevention and tobacco cessation, and the site has a report on how it impacts Montana here.

get local health results

State snapshot too large? Get county-by-county health rankings for Montana, from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin.

Does Montana have a health insurance high risk pool?

Montana Comprehensive Health Association
Toll-free 1-800-447-7828

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Starting in 2010, Montana started offering health care insurance coverage to residents through the federally established temporary high-risk pool program. To find out more about Montana's participation, click here.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state to state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the pool to keep it in the black. In the best cases, they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Read more about risk pools here.

Non-profit sources of health insurance information for Montana

• The Foundation for Health Coverage Education's mission is to provide simplified public and private health insurance eligibility information in order to help more people access coverage. Here is its guide on how to find health insurance in Montana.
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking the progress of health insurance reform in each state. Its page for Montana can be found here.
• The National Committee for Quality Assurance is a private, non-profit organization that, among other things, provides health care plan report cards for consumers. Search for Montana health insurance plan report cards.

Montana state government health insurance resources

Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services —  The state agency dealing with public health issues.

Montana Medicaid Provider Information —  Assisting low-income individuals and families.

Healthy Montana Kids —  CHIP is a low-cost, private health insurance plan which provides health insurance to eligible children age 18 and under. Children qualify for CHIP based on family size and income.

How did Montana officials vote on health reform?

H.R.2: Repealing the Health Care Bill

#14

Date of Vote: 1/19/2011 Status: House passed 245-189, 1 not voting

HOUSE|SENATE

1/19/2011--Passed House amended. Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act - Repeals the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, effective as of its enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by such Act. Repeals the health care provisions of the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, effective as of the Act's enactment. Restores provisions of law amended by the Act's health care provisions. [more]

Yes (1)

• Dennis Rehberg