Governor Bullock Requests Waiver to Allow Montana Health Care Providers to Improve Access to Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP Services

Waiver will streamline processes for health care providers responding to COVID-19

• March 26 2020

Governor Steve Bullock today requested a waiver from the federal government to streamline frontline health care providers’ ability to access much-needed health services available through Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP to respond to COVID-19. 

The waiver will give Montana the regulatory flexibility to implement changes to expand capacity as needed to address the urgent health care needs of Montanans.

“Montana’s health care providers are on the frontlines, serving our communities most impacted by COVID-19 – we need to do everything we can to expand their capacity,” Governor Bullock said. “This waiver will help health care providers across the state do what we are incredibly grateful for doing: preparing and responding to COVID-19.”

The waiver requests permission from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to allow Montana health care providers to adapt operations to respond to the emergency based on Montana’s specific and evolving needs. This could include things like making it easier to set up alternative testing or treatment sites or reorganize their units to best treat COVID-19 patients safely. It will also make it easier to expedite enrollment for new Medicaid, Medicare, and CHIP providers, reduce administrative work to free up providers to treat more patients, allow for better information sharing and coordination to help trace and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and expedite patient care.

Governor Bullock requested the waiver begin retroactively starting January 27.