The interim session of the 2025 Legislative Session is off to a rousing start! Please see below for ways that you can be involved and make public comment on this important work.
Governor’s Medicaid Provider Rate Increases:
The long-awaited Medicaid provider rate increases will be approved on September 7th and will go out on September 8th and will be retroactive to July 1, 2023. Please confirm you have your usual and customary rates, or all of your rate increases in your system for billing. https://medicaidprovider.mt.gov/proposedfs
Behavioral Health System for Future Generations Commission
The 2023 Legislature created a Behavioral Health System for Future Generations fund of $300 million through HB 872 and created a commission to allocate those funds. https://dphhs.mt.gov/FutureGenerations/Index
The Future Generations site is on the Department of Public Health and Human Services site, not the Legislative Committees site:
The commission is charged with recommending how funds allocated to DPHHS through the behavioral health and developmental disabilities state special revenue fund are expended.
The commission will submit reports of its recommendations as needed to the Office of Budget and Program Planning and to the legislative fiscal analyst. The reports must include one or more of the following:
- initiatives that address behavioral health;
- initiatives that assist those with developmental disabilities;
- outcome measures, as defined in 2-15-2221;
- output measures, as defined in 2-15-2221;
- performance measures, as defined in 2-15-2221; and
- the amount of funding required for the initiatives.
The commission will transmit its recommendations to the governor for his consideration.
The commission members are:
Rep. Bob Keenan, R-Bigfork, Chair; Charlie Brereton, Director, DPHHS, Vice-Chair; Patrick Maddison, CEO, Flathead Industries; Janet Lindow, Associate Professor of University of Kansas Medical Center and Executive Director and Co-Founder, Rural Behavioral Health Institute; Rep. Michele Brinkley, R-Hamilton; Rep. Mike Yakawich, R-Billings; Rep. Dave Fern, D-Whitefish; Sen. John Esp, R- Big Timber; and Sen. Ellie Boldman, D-Missoula.The link to the meeting webcast is here.
To provide public comment during the meeting, please email Traci Clark at [email protected] to register and a Zoom link will be provided.
Written public comment can be emailed to [email protected] at any time.
Children’s and Families Health and Human Services Interim Committee:
The CFHHS Committee for the 2024-2025 Interim has begun meeting. Members include:
Senator Chris Friedel (R), Senator Jen Gross (D), Senator Daniel Emrich (R), Senator Dennis R. Lenz (R) Chair, Representative Jennifer Carlson (R), Representative SJ Howell (D) Vice-Chair, Representative Ron Marshall (R), and Representative Mike Yakawich (R).
The next meeting will be on September 12th. You can provide public comment at the meetings or sign up for virtual comment one day before the meeting.
https://www.leg.mt.gov/committees/interim/cfhhs/meeting-info/
Please reach out to me if there is anything you need. When we work together, we can solve all the problems out there!
Stay safe. Stay healthy.