Dr. Kathryn Lysinger: Montanans support Medicaid and lowering health care costs

The last 18 months have seen a major reckoning in our health care system. Outside of the strain that COVID-19 put on health care workers and facilities, many individuals were faced with unexpected out-of-pocket medical costs. Whether it was the over 5 million Americans who lost their employer-provided health insurance and were forced to grapple with junk insurance plans or pay out-of-pocket for services that used to be covered, or individuals that were infected with the virus and made to foot the bill for lengthy hospital stays and lifesaving treatments due to billing loopholes.

Regardless, coming out of the pandemic, it has become evidently clear that our health care system is in need of commonsense reforms, particularly to minimize patient expense. Recent polling from ALG Research and Lake Research Partners conducted on behalf of Consumers for Quality Care shows that nearly 50% of Montanans are in favor of policymakers passing legislation to bring down costs.