Montana committee hears case to add medical respite to Medicaid, witnesses cite pilot savings

Representative Ed Staffman of House District 59 opened the hearing on House Bill 274, saying the bill would allow people who are homeless to be discharged from hospitals into medical respite beds rather than remaining in inpatient care or returning to the street. “If you or I go to the hospital… the problem is that if you’re a homeless person, you have no home to recover in,” Staffman said, framing the bill as both humane and cost-saving.

The bill would add medical respite services to Montana’s Medicaid program subject to a federal waiver from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Staffman summarized pilot data from Bozeman and Missoula, saying the two pilots together produced roughly $945,000 to $1 million in estimated savings and that Montana taxpayers would save about $287,000 of that amount under the proposed program.

Multiple proponents described local results. Kami Kirchberg, manager…