Montana News Roundup: MT Shows Sharpest Drop in Medicaid Enrollment
While Congress debates the Trump Administration's budget and the potential for Medicaid cuts, a new report shows that Montana has already seen a steep decline in the number of people enrolled in the healthcare program.
A report by the non-profit KFF shows Montana has the sharpest drop in Medicaid enrollment in the post-pandemic years, dropping 36% between January 2023 and January 2025. That makes Montana one of only 10 states with a drop in those ensured by Medicaid, with Utah, Idaho, and Texas also shedding more than 30% of their Medicaid rolls.
In plain numbers, that's a drop from more than 329,804 Montanans with Medicaid coverage in March 2023 to just over 210,190 this past winter.
-That snapshot is important because it shows the trends AFTER individual states started "unwinding" Medicaid coverage from the extended coverage during the pandemic.
Great Falls chase suspect pleads "not guilty"
The man accused of stealing multiple cars and then getting into a shootout with Cascade County Sheriff's deputies and Great Falls is pleading "not guilty" to multiple charges.
James Dennis was arraigned on charges Monday for the crime spree that lasted for more than two days before the dangerous chase ended in a crash. His trial has been initially scheduled for October.
READ MORE: Montana's Medicaid Debate
Ah hail, another rough weather day
It was another afternoon and evening of wild weather/tags/montana-wildfires/ across parts of Eastern Montana, with reports of heavy rain, "tennis ball-sized hail" in Winnett, and downed power lines, including one incident that blocked Main Street in Billings for a time.
⛈️ The good news is conditions will calm down before a turn to cloudy, wetter weather with cold temperatures that could even bring snow showers to the high country, and a threat of frost in some of the high valleys west of the Divide.
Montana Tuesday Trivia
What are the largest hailstones ever reported in Montana? Answer below 👇
Fire continues to grow near MacDonald Pass
The fire burning west of Helena, south of MacDonald Pass continued to spread yesterday, now encompassing 150 acres. The Jericho Mountain Fire is burning in dead and dying timber in rugged terrain on the ridge line.
A Type 3 team has taken over the blaze and is using ground teams, especially an aerial attack to keep the fire from spreading toward the historic town of Rimini.
-There are no evacuations.
Montana Tuesday Trivia
According to a recent report from NBC Montana, the largest hailstones in Montana were a whopping half a foot in diameter!
-They hit that size twice, in Rosebud County in 1965 and Powder River County in 1971.
LOOK: Which movies were filmed in Montana?
Gallery Credit: Stacker