By Sen. Jason Ellsworth, SD 43, Hamilton
Rural Montana is facing some pressing challenges. We must provide quality medical care for an aging population, so our seniors can enjoy healthy, vibrant lives in the communities they’ve always called home. And we need to create more jobs for the next generation of rural Montanans so they have the opportunity to live in our great state.
These two objectives both require enhancements to our health care system, but we need to implement these enhancements in a way that will not jeopardize access to healthcare for people who live and work in rural Montana. Unfortunately, the Lower Health Care Costs Act does just that.
While some members of Congress claim that the government price controls contained within this bill will eliminate the unexpected charges some patients receive for out-of-network health care services, which are also known as “surprise medical bills”, the reality is that these broad price controls will likely put many providers in Montana, and across rural America, out of business.
Montana and other sparsely populated states are struggling to attract medical professionals. In fact, the vast majority of Montana counties—52 of 56—are suffering from a shortage of doctors, and nine have no doctors at all. At the same time, the rural population is aging, and residents suffer greater incidence of chronic disease without sufficient access to the health care they need.
The status for mental health is even worse, with only Yellowstone County escaping a “provider shortage” designation. Lack of care access contributes to startling statistics like this one: The suicide rate among Montana veterans is nearly twice the national average.
In response to these problems, Montana is striving to upgrade our health care system. We’re fighting the headwinds of the Affordable Care Act, but we cannot also win against the price controls that this bill would put into effect.
If the federal government passes the Lower Health Care Act and sets rates for various privately funded health care too low—as they already do for Medicare and Medicaid—we will lose more doctors, more clinics, and more hospitals. Going backwards on health care would harm patients and Montana’s economy. Only with adequate health care access can small towns compete for employers and maintain a healthy, productive workforce. If we want to know why just five counties captured 75 percent of Montana’s new jobs from 2000 through 2016, we need to look at health care.
We value our independence and states’ rights, which should include the right to shape a health care system that works for us. Montanans deserve better than a one-size-fits-all policy from Washington.
The Montana Legislature will continue our efforts to lower health care costs and expand access across rural parts of the state. Our U.S. Senator Steve Daines can help by continuing his work to stop harmful, top-down health care dictates, like this price control plan.