February 27, 2026

The President’s Message is published in the MHA Weekly News Report, a member-only publication of the Montana Hospital Association. To subscribe, click here.

If you’ve noticed recently a disturbing increase in political campaigns spreading misinformation about our state’s healthcare, you’re not alone.

Unfortunately, national groups are doubling down with attacks on Montana’s Medicaid solution and the legislators who supported it. But I’m proud to report that hospital leaders from across Montana are pushing back. No less than 60 leaders came together to sign a letter of support stating the simple truth: Medicaid works for Montana. The letter is published on mtha.org and you can read it here.

Legislators who voted in support of Medicaid expansion in the 2025 state legislative session weren’t playing politics. They were looking at the facts and listening to their communities. We’re grateful to them for that.

Support for the bill came from across the state and not only included the healthcare community, but also statewide groups like the Montana Chamber of Commerce and AARP Montana. It’s also important to note that during hearings on the bill to renew Medicaid expansion, zero people testified against the legislation.

There are certain areas of the state where legislators have been hit particularly hard by the political attacks. In those communities, our members are submitting tailored versions of the letter of support to their local newspapers to make sure the message is loud and clear that Medicaid is essential to keeping our hospital doors open and reducing the burden of uncompensated care that would otherwise fall on taxpayers.

Letters were published in Polson and Glasgow papers this week, and more are set to run in the coming weeks.

We’ll continue to push back on these attacks. If you haven’t already, please consider helping to set the record straight. Resources, including talking points, a draft letter to the editor, and social media posts and graphics, are available for members. Please reach out to the Advocacy team for more information.

Thank you for joining us in this strong show of support.