Health care

A program aiming to keep Montana’s ambulance services financially afloat is in jeopardy, as federal health officials say the state can’t implement the program. Rural ambulance providers could close if it fails.

Montanans have until Wednesday to enroll in a federal marketplace health insurance plan. Federal subsidies have expired and many Montanans will see their premiums more than double as a result, according to KFF, a nonpartisan health research group.

Mobile crisis teams are struggling. These are the teams of mental health professionals that respond to behavioral health calls instead of police. Those programs don’t have reliable funding, and the teams that remain say they need help.

Federal officials have reduced the number of vaccines recommended for children. Some state medical groups say they will continue to follow the old guidelines. Parents will need to talk to their doctor to get the shots that are no longer recommended for all children.

Permitting for fast-tracked mining project in the Bitterroot moves forward; Trump AI order could undercut state regulations; Health Department applies for federal recertification of Montana State Hospital.

Earlier this year, federal lawmakers created a $50 billion program to support rural health care. It came as a result over concerns that cuts to Medicaid will shutter many rural hospitals across the nation.

Montana’s top attorney will lead the Republican effort to elect more conservative attorneys general next year. State officials are looking for a site in Laurel to build a new mental health facility for criminal defendants.

A federal committee recently said children should no longer get the hepatitis B vaccine at birth. The change to the recommendation doesn’t remove parents’ ability to get their kids the vaccine at birth, but they will need to talk to their doctor ahead of time.

Some of Logan Health’s medical staff are unionizing. They say the Kalispell-based hospital system has chronically understaffed its primary care clinics, degrading working conditions.

In Montana, abortion access has been at times illegal, legal, and stuck in limbo. Providers have weathered bombings and arson, advocates and opponents have battled it out in court, and citizens have passed a constitutional amendment affirming a woman's right to choose. One listener wants to know more about the history of reproductive rights in Montana. MTPR's Aaron Bolton reports on the underground networks, political violence and landmark court cases that got us to where we are today.