Montana’s health status

Montana is ranked as the 23rd healthiest state in the nation, according to the United Health Foundation. Although descending five spots from its 2007 rank (18th, the best rank for the state in 20 years), it’s still an excellent place to live when it comes to health. What makes the state a good place in terms of health? Among other things, the state a very low prevalence of obesity (although up slightly from last year, this year it stands at 22.6%, the 8th best in the nation), the country’s third lowest incidence of infectious disease at 3.9 cases per 100,000 population, low levels of air pollution at 9.1 micrograms of fine particulate per cubic meter and a low rate of deaths from cardiovascular disease at 252.4 deaths per 100,000 population. The percentage of population under 18 living in poverty has also descended this year 1.5%, which is great news for the people in Montana.

Although the state has been making great improvement in the aforementioned issues, there are still a couple of things that can be worked out. One of the state’s biggest accessibility issues, the geographical disparity has gone up 2.3% in one year, and is now the 4th worst in the nation. Also, although lowering slightly, the occupational death percentage is also very high, at 9.9 deaths per 100,000 workers. The premature death rate measured in years lost before the age of 75 has also increased this year a lot, and the rate is now 7,765 years lost per 100,000 population. The percentages on prevalence of smoking and binge drinking have increased as compared to last year, as well as the violent crime rate.

Montana’s public funding is average, with approximately $69 per person. Nonetheless, the percentage of the population that lacks Health Insurance is very high, with 16.4% of the residents of Montana lacking Health Insurance. These two factors, along with the low rate of primary care physicians per 100,000 population cause a low percentage of complete immunization between infants 19-35 months old (only 75%).

Montana health insurance information

In Montana, 83.6% of the citizens have Health Insurance. This is a low percentage of the population, caused by low government funding, great geographical disparity, and the lack of ready primary access. This means that only about 16.4% of the population in Montana has no Health Insurance. This is almost 1 out of every five residents in the state. The percentage of employers offering health insurance to employees is also very low, with 39.2% percent of employers offering health Insurance plans, a percentage that has been going down drastically since 2003. About 78% of workers take the Health Insurance plans offered by their employers.

The low public health funding in Montana also causes to have a low rate of primary care physicians for the population, with only 103.5 physicians per 100,000 population. Montana’s health care system, although trying hard to remain accessible to its citizens, has issues to work for, such as better quality and efficiency. The percentage of the Montana population that could get medical care when needed is good at almost 88%. The patients served by FQHCs as a percent of population under 200% FPL stands at 21.4%.

If coverage has been denied for you, there are still some options you can check:

Best health plans in Montana (according to US News)

The prestigious US News ranks yearly the best Health Plans in the country, polling and evaluating consumer assessment, prevention, and treatment offered by all plans. They gather information and rank the results, nation-wide and state-wide, showing on their results the best plans available for Montana as well. The Rankings reflect results of consumer surveys and success in preventing and treating illness compared with average health plan.

Not only they rank Commercial Plans, they also rank Medicare or Medicaid plans, covering and evaluating as many plans as possible. If you want to browse their list of best-of, please go to the US News Health Plans Search site.

Get involved

If you are concerned about Montana’s health care issues and want to speak out, your safest bet is to contact your federal official, either via phone or fax. Postal Mail is not recommended, since it takes too long, and e-mail might not be seen. Also, make sure you communicate with the right Member of the Senate and/or Congress.

If you want more guidance and tips on how to contact and communicate with your representatives, there are various sites on the internet that can help on how to contact your elected officials.

Contact the White House PHONE: toll free 1-800-671-7887 (ask for the Comment Line) FAX: 1 202-456-2461 E-MAIL:comments@whitehouse.gov State officials: Montana Governor Brian SchweitzerP.O. Box 200801Helena MT 59620-0801PHONE: (406) 444-3111 FAX: (406) 444-5529 Senator Mac BaucusPHONE: 202-224-2651 (DC office)FAX: 202-224-0515 (DC office)Web Form: Contact Form Senator Jon TesterPHONE: 202-224-2644 (DC office)FAX: 202-224-224-8594 (DC office)Web Form: Contact Form Official Montana health insurance information Montana Medicaid Provider Information Helping the state’s lowest income individuals and families. Montana’s CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Plan) CHIP is a low-cost, private health insurance plan which provides health insurance to eligible children age 18 and under. Children qualify for CHIP based on family size and income.		Recent Montana health insurance news Health Insurance is always a hot topic for discussion, since it involves the citizens of Montana and their welfare. Here are some of the latest news and updates on the current issues and news related to Health and Health Insurance for Montana: