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Committee advances bill to raise top age for Medicaid work requirement from 55 to 62
Summary
The House Health and Human Services Committee heard hours of testimony and voted to report HB 687 to the floor. Sponsor Rep. Bill Mercer said the change reflects shifting workforce patterns; AARP Montana, policy groups and Medicaid enrollees urged a ‘do not pass.’
Representative Bill Mercer introduced House Bill 687 to the House Health and Human Services Committee, proposing to raise the upper age for Medicaid expansion community‑engagement work requirements from 55 to 62.
“55 just doesn't seem appropriate to cap the work requirement,” Mercer said in his opening, arguing many Montanans work well into their 60s and 70s and that federal policy changes could make a higher ceiling necessary.
Opponents questioned the policy during the public testimony period. Kristin Page Nye of AARP Montana testified the current standards protect ‘‘sandwich‑generation’’ caregivers and people who face barriers to reentering the workforce; she…
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