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The Indian Health Service’s top official dodged frustrated lawmakers’ questions about unsafe care at the federal agency and whether proposed budget cuts would worsen the situation during a tense Senate committee hearing Wednesday. Members of the Senate Indian Affairs and Senate Appropriations committees repeatedly cited two articles published last week in The Wall Street Journal on the agency, which provides health care to 2.2 million tribal members. The articles examined agency-run hospitals that failed to meet basic U.S. standards and employed doctors who are now accused of crimes, while the IHS’s political leaders focused on other priorities. The Journal identified 11 patients

The cuts proposed to Medicaid under the Senate version of a health care bill meant to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act could hit Montana so hard the state would struggle to pay for priorities such as education and infrastructure. That’s according to a report released Tuesday by Manatt Health and commissioned by the Montana Health Care Foundation. Under the Senate’s proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act, Montana would lose $5.3 billion in federal Medicaid funds between fiscal years 2020 and 2026. That’s 40 percent of the state’s current federal Medicaid funding. “We’re putting at risk coverage for 75,000 Montanans

After legislation that could spell the end for Medicaid expansion in states like Montana cleared the U.S. House on a close vote, some are calling on Montana’s senators to defeat a Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Montana Budget and Policy Center, a nonprofit that researches budget, tax and economic issues, said Thursday the revised version of the American Health Care Act would effectively end Medicaid expansion in Montana, which has extended coverage to more than 70,000 people. “The bill passed by the US House of Representatives is even worse for Montanans and our state

HELENA — Montana military veterans who were referred to health specialists in 2015 faced delays in getting appointments or receiving needed medical services nearly half the time, and those delays may have harmed four patients, according to a report released Friday. The Department of Veterans Affairs Inspector General’s Office inspected the VA Montana Healthcare System at Fort Harrison in Helena at the request of U.S. Sens. Jon Tester and Steve Daines. The inspectors were asked to look at how often patients experienced delays in obtaining referrals — called “consults” in the VA system — and how those delays affected the

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Montana, fielded questions from Montana residents during a “tele-townhall” phone conference Wednesday night, addressing concerns about health care, his cabinet votes, and environmental regulations. According to the senator’s staff, the evening forum marked the 14th time he’d connected with Montanans since winning the Senate seat. It came on the heels of criticism that he’d shirked constituents’ calls for a live town hall after controversial moves to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education and gavel down Elizabeth Warren on the Senate floor. But Daines was unfazed, and answered questions and criticisms with aplomb during the 90-minute session, hearing

The U.S. Congressional Republicans’ repeal-and-replace bill that throws out core provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act preserves special provisions for Libby asbestos victims, Sen. Steve Daines’ office said Tuesday. Daines, R-Montana, talked with key Republicans over the weekend about the need to retain Libby-specific health care provisions as Congressional leaders prepared for the roll-out of the draft bill on Monday. He followed up with a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, pointing out that toxic exposure from decades of vermiculite mining in Libby “remains an environmental and public health crisis.” A

HELENA, Mont. (AP) – An internal evaluation of the VA Montana Health Care System saw its performance rating downgraded to one star for July, August and September, compared with two stars for the same period in 2015, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines announced Wednesday. Public affairs officer Mike Garcia said that officials are reviewing the report and looking for areas of improvement, but he notes the star ratings are not equivalent to those one might find for a hotel or restaurant. The nation’s VA hospitals are rated on a bell curve, and there will always be a dozen five-star facilities and 12 or 13 one-star