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Board discusses covering rabies tests after state stops funding
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Summary
Public-health staff said Montana has stopped paying for rabies testing; each test now costs about $50–$60. The board discussed using local funds to cover tests for people who cannot afford them and noted they were not notified of the change in advance.
Rosebud County public-health staff reported that the state has stopped paying for rabies testing, shifting the cost to the animal owner or individual. "State is no longer paying for rabies testing, and we do feel it is a needed community service," a staff member said. Staff said tests cost approximately $50–$60 each and asked the Board to consider using county funds to cover testing for people who cannot afford it.
At the meeting staff described instances where the county previously paid for tests when an owner could not be identified; they said they were not notified in advance of the state funding change. The Board discussed options for funding tests in rare cases and said staff would explore how to cover the expense for those truly unable to pay.
Staff asked the Board for direction and said Shelley (a staff member not present) might follow up to work through a policy for covering tests. The group noted that local occurrence of rabies is rare but real: there have been positive animal tests in the county, and when people cannot afford testing the county has previously covered costs in limited circumstances.
The Board did not record a formal vote during the discussion. Staff said they would return with options for handling testing costs and potential criteria for when the county would step in to pay.
