Republican Matt Rosendale Lowers Healthcare Costs for Montanans

Montana state auditor and Republican congressional candidate Matt Rosendale said Monday that he will continue to fight to lower Montanans’ health care. Rosendale’s healthcare reforms led to the first drop in premiums on Montana’s health insurance exchange.

Rosendale announced last Friday that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Montana’s proposed reinsurance program through the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) 1332 waiver system.

Health insurance companies have already proposed between eight and 14 percent lower insurance premiums on average in 2020 due to the proposed reinsurance program. The Montana state auditor expects the rates to be finalized with his office soon.

“A big step in the right direction. I will keep working to further lower the cost of health insurance, health care, and prescription drugs, protect people with preexisting conditions, & give Montanans more options to get good, affordable health care,” Rosendale tweeted Monday.

A big step in the right direction. I will keep working to further lower the cost of health insurance, health care, and prescription drugs, protect people with preexisting conditions, & give Montanans more options to get good, affordable health care. https://t.co/qC8TBrgHEK #mtpol

— Commissioner Matt Rosendale (@MattRosendale) August 19, 2019

Rosendale’s success in lowering healthcare costs for Montanans serves as another instance of Republicans pushing for innovative and dynamic solutions to lower the cost of health care. The Montana conservative announced in June that he will run for Montana’s open House seat to help enact Trump’s America First policies.

Rosendale said in June, “My commitment to give back to Montana has never been stronger. I’m running for the U.S. House to serve and work for the people of Montana. I pledge to always listen, represent our values, and protect our Montana way of life.”

“I’d like to thank the Trump Administration for making it a priority to allow states to innovate and create solutions that work best for our citizens,” Rosendale said in a statement Friday. “I’ve been fighting for a reinsurance program since I was first elected State Auditor, and now Montanans are going to see the positive results.”

Many states have asked for an ACA, also known as Obamacare, waiver from the CMS to implement a reinsurance program through which a state could receive a portion of the federal premiums’ subsidies, which would otherwise go directly to the insurance companies to instead lower the cost of Obamacare enrollees who incur high medical bills.

“In the years since then we have seen numerous other states with more competent governors get on board and create their own reinsurance programs,” Rosendale said in June. “We finally talked the governor into it and he signed the reinsurance bill in the 2019 session, and now we are seeing the results of lower health insurance rates from all three carriers.”

Reinsurance waivers serve as another strong instance where Republicans have been able to help states lower their health insurance premiums. A Heritage Foundation study released last week found that the first drop in Obamacare premiums was driven by the Trump administration’s approval of these waivers, which give states the option to lower their healthcare costs through innovative proposals such as Rosendale’s.

During an interview in January 2018, Rosendale championed Trump’s America First immigration policies, charging that America needs to end chain migration, build a wall, and address the “anchor baby” problem in America.

“I’ll work with President Trump to always Put Montana and America First and will never stop working to make our country and Montana a better place,” Rosendale said in 2018