Medicaid Expansion Works for Every County in Montana

Mar 14, 2019

By Tara Jensen

Since Montana passed the bi-partisan Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership (HELP) Act in 2015, Medicaid expansion has been a vital source of health care coverage for nearly 100,000 Montanans. Each of Montana’s 56 counties is home to individuals, families, and workers who have benefitted from both preventive health services that detect treatable health concerns early and access to behavioral health services, such as counseling, addiction treatment services, and medications for mental illness. All corners of our state benefit from Medicaid expansion. The program has been critical for the 18,000 businesses – large and small – across the state that have at least one employee enrolled. It has also helped thousands of Montanans find new and better employment opportunities and brought in millions of federal dollars now flowing through local economies. Highlights of the data include: Montana Medicaid expansion has proven to be a successful program, one that helps working families, employers, and the broader economy. From Carter County to Lincoln County, Medicaid expansion is working for Montana. The 2019 Legislature has all the facts it needs to reauthorize this bi-partisan, Montana-made health insurance program in its current form. Appendix A provides county-specific data for Medicaid expansion total enrollment and percent of county population.[4] Appendix B provides county-specific data for the number of Medicaid enrollees who have received preventive screenings, and the total number of total preventive health care services for Medicaid enrollees.[5] Appendix C provides county-specific data for the number of Medicaid enrollees who have accessed inpatient and outpatient mental health services and substance use disorder treatment services.[6]   Appendix D provides county-specific data for the number of Medicaid enrollees in Montana who use HELP-Link.[7],[8],[9]   Appendix A: Medicaid Expansion Total Enrollment and as Percent of County Population, January 2019
  Total Enrollment As Percent of Population   Total Enrollment As Percent of Population
Beaverhead 771 8.3% Madison 394 5.0%
Big Horn 2229 16.8% Meagher 243 13.1%
Blaine 780 11.8% Mineral 507 11.9%
Broadwater 349 6.2% Missoula 11,314 10.0%
Carbon 762 7.3% Musselshell 499 10.9%
Carter 48 4.1% Park 1,507 9.5%
Cascade 7322 8.9% Petroleum 27 5.6%
Chouteau 332 5.6% Phillips 353 8.4%
Custer 896 7.4% Pondera 823 13.2%
Daniels 60 3.4% Powder River 74 4.2%
Dawson 493 5.2% Powell 631 9.1%
Deer Lodge 961 10.5% Prairie 62 5.4%
Fallon 160 5.2% Ravalli 4,024 9.8%
Fergus 821 7.2% Richland 648 5.6%
Flathead 8,905 9.4% Roosevelt 1,837 16.2%
Gallatin 6,501 6.7% Rosebud 1,086 11.6%
Garfield 72 5.5% Sanders 1,322 11.6%
Glacier 2,690 19.6% Sheridan 180 4.9%
Golden Valley 120 14.1% Silver Bow 4,192 12.1%
Granite 194 6.1% Stillwater 520 5.6%
Hill 2,085 12.6% Sweet Grass 196 5.4%
Jefferson 619 5.4% Teton 570 9.4%
Judith Basin 149 7.5% Toole 499 9.7%
Lake 3,784 13.0% Treasure 60 8.7%
Lewis and Clark 5,639 8.6% Valley 527 6.9%
Liberty 218 9.2% Wheatland 279 13.3%
Lincoln 2,317 12.1% Wibaux 39 3.5%
McCone 165 9.7% Yellowstone 14,118 9.1%
Total Statewide Medicaid Expansion Enrollment 95,973 adults; 9.4% of the state population.   Appendix B: Medicaid Expansion Enrollees Who Have Accessed Preventive Screenings and Total Preventive Health Care Services, January 2019
Breast Cancer Screening Colon Cancer Screening Preventive Services Breast Cancer Screening Colon Cancer Screening Preventive Services
Beaverhead 86 71 836 Madison 45 37 405
Big Horn 73 142 2,012 Meagher 27 25 257
Blaine 61 54 780 Mineral 42 37 499
Broadwater 38 27 386 Missoula 870 666 11,689
Carbon 88 71 806 Musselshell 44 44 559
Carter 5 5 44 Park 100 114 1,520
Cascade 931 678 8,069 Petroleum 5 < 5 25
Chouteau 42 32 348 Phillips 31 25 390
Custer 86 65 922 Pondera 67 53 776
Daniels < 5 < 5 66 Powder River < 5 < 5 73
Dawson 33 31 530 Powell 60 54 662
Deer Lodge 62 93 1,027 Prairie 7 < 5 51
Fallon 11 9 153 Ravalli 323 352 4,123
Fergus 75 98 910 Richland 76 45 660
Flathead 1,024 813 9,547 Roosevelt 69 92 1,590
Gallatin 424 407 6,249 Rosebud 37 43 848
Garfield 7 5 71 Sanders 153 135 1,316
Glacier 103 102 2,021 Sheridan 19 10 185
Golden Valley 22 13 127 Silver Bow 336 280 4,399
Granite 20 16 211 Stillwater 53 40 512
Hill 169 113 2,156 Sweet Grass 13 16 174
Jefferson 64 60 760 Teton 62 36 576
Judith Basin 22 16 137 Toole 38 25 429
Lake 356 293 3,904 Treasure < 5 < 5 46
Lewis and Clark 434 514 5,989 Valley 45 49 595
Liberty 56 38 241 Wheatland 31 24 284
Lincoln 257 197 2,428 Wibaux < 5 < 5 38
McCone 15 11 144 Yellowstone 1,022 1,004 14,748
Total Preventive Screenings and Total Preventive Health Care Services for Medicaid Enrollees 7,901 have received breast cancer screenings and 7,034 adults have received colon cancer screenings   Appendix C: Medicaid Expansion Enrollees Who Have Accessed Inpatient and Outpatient Services for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, January 2019  
  Mental Health Outpatient Mental Health Inpatient SUD Outpatient SUD Inpatient Mental Health Outpatient Mental Health Inpatient SUD Outpatient SUD Inpatient
Beaverhead 272 16 67 15 Madison 88 < 5 15 < 5
Big Horn 448 38 126 38 Meagher 28 9 5 < 5
Blaine 224 16 23 16 Mineral 176 16 56 < 5
Broadwater 107 6 18 < 5 Missoula 5,109 554 883 225
Carbon 226 40 37 10 Musselshell 123 10 49 6
Carter 8 < 5 < 5 < 5 Park 544 38 170 37
Cascade 2,716 315 752 204 Petroleum 0 < 5 < 5 < 5
Chouteau 49 11 8 < 5 Phillips 68 6 24 < 5
Custer 413 39 155 25 Pondera 141 15 13 9
Daniels 6 < 5 < 5 < 5 Powder River 10 < 5 7 < 5
Dawson 211 22 122 21 Powell 166 15 49 14
Deer Lodge 359 21 155 17 Prairie 14 < 5 < 5 < 5
Fallon 38 6 15 < 5 Ravalli 1,340 100 277 51
Fergus 240 32 66 20 Richland 186 22 113 36
Flathead 2,829 381 471 116 Roosevelt 446 21 61 34
Gallatin 2,147 89 443 98 Rosebud 254 48 62 38
Garfield 12 < 5 < 5 < 5 Sanders 326 36 71 19
Glacier 569 40 28 35 Sheridan 47 8 21 < 5
Golden Valley 15 6 6 < 5 Silver Bow 1,611 81 760 100
Granite 35 5 10 < 5 Stillwater 127 13 26 8
Hill 759 39 271 92 Sweet Grass 47 5 16 6
Jefferson 215 13 60 6 Teton 101 13 14 < 5
Judith Basin 19 < 5 < 5 < 5 Toole 122 12 16 7
Lake 1,211 83 361 106 Treasure 11 < 5 < 5 < 5
Lewis and Clark 2,239 200 606 125 Valley 176 23 71 < 5
Liberty 23 5 5 < 5 Wheatland 42 12 10 < 5
Lincoln 738 52 174 31 Wibaux 8 < 5 < 5 < 5
McCone 22 < 5 6 < 5 Yellowstone 5,836 878 1,708 560
Total Medicaid Enrollees Who Have Accessed Inpatient and Outpatient Services for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders 30,980 adults have received outpatient mental health services 3,291 adults have received inpatient mental health services 7,837 adults have received substance use outpatient services 2,099 adults have received substance use residential services   Appendix D: Businesses Employing Medicaid Expansion Clients by Total Number and as Percentage of All Businesses, and Total Number of HELP-Link Clients, January 2019
  Businesses Employing Enrollees Percent of Businesses HELP-Link Clients Businesses Employing Enrollees Percent of Businesses HELP-Link Clients
Beaverhead 179 60.1% 203 Madison 156 56.5% 74
Big Horn 87 55.8% 560 Meagher 38 61.3% 22
Blaine 65 65.7% 162 Mineral 52 74.3% 88
Broadwater 60 52.2% 83 Missoula 1,836 61.8% 3,508
Carbon 151 57.9% 96 Musselshell 51 55.4% 87
Carter 9 37.5% 6 Park 316 57.6% 339
Cascade 998 60.8% 2,942 Petroleum 6 75.0% 3
Chouteau 57 55.9% 48 Phillips 57 55.9% 62
Custer 177 61.9% 448 Pondera 57 45.6% 129
Daniels 17 34.7% 4 Powder River 28 49.1% 7
Dawson 96 48.5% 288 Powell 63 56.8% 161
Deer Lodge 89 59.3% 317 Prairie 13 54.2% 18
Fallon 50 45.5% 25 Ravalli 555 58.7% 1,056
Fergus 164 56.9% 345 Richland 151 41.0% 358
Flathead 1,614 60.8% 2,401 Roosevelt 97 64.7% 613
Gallatin 1,873 51.5% 1,360 Rosebud 76 57.1% 175
Garfield 15 53.6% 7 Sanders 168 69.7% 391
Glacier 94 63.9% 705 Sheridan 52 46.0% 24
Golden Valley 11 91.7% 6 Silver Bow 457 64.0% 1,334
Granite 39 62.9% 28 Stillwater 70 43.5% 101
Hill 210 63.6% 850 Sweet Grass 55 47.0% 18
Jefferson 104 54.5% 151 Teton 88 56.4% 73
Judith Basin 22 44.0% 18 Toole 64 54.7% 102
Lake 360 67.3% 1,629 Treasure 5 31.3% 5
Lewis and Clark 845 54.7% 1,930 Valley 110 62.1% 200
Liberty 23 46.9% 17 Wheatland 35 57.4% 19
Lincoln 302 67.7% 924 Wibaux 6 30.0% 8
McCone 16 40.0% 10 Yellowstone 2,009 53.3% 4,207
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