Uncommon Knowledge
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Residents of Montana could be hit by unseasonably cold weather and snow starting on Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) has reported.
Montanans in some parts of the state can expect chilly temperatures and snow throughout Sunday and into early next week. Winter weather advisories are in place across numerous areas currently, while temperatures are expected to drop close to or below freezing.
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From 6 p.m. on Sunday, those in Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains, Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains, Little Belt and Highwood Mountains, Gallatin and Madison County Mountains and Centennial Mountains, and Northwest Beaverhead County can expect up to 7 inches of “heavy, wet snow,” particularly at higher elevations above 6,000 feet, according to a winter weather advisory issued by the NWS.
“Travel could be difficult, especially on backcountry roads. Those in the backcountry should ensure they have appropriate knowledge and gear and may want to consider alternate plans,” the advisory reads. “The heavy, wet nature of snow can bring down tree limbs and power lines.”
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Another advisory warns of 6 inches of snow for those in the East Glacier Park Region and along the Southern Rocky Mountain Front, particularly in areas between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. Both advisories are currently in place until Tuesday evening.
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Those in Missoula and Bitterroot Valley are also subject to a winter storm watch advisory, with 3 inches of heavy, wet snow expected to fall on Sunday night through to Monday morning. During the same period, 1 to 5 inches of snow is forecast at Georgetown Lake, Macdonald Pass and along Highway 12, with five to 12 inches possible in the highest terrain.
6/13: Winter Storm Watches are in effect along the Divide Monday into Tuesday, June 17-18, where heavy wet snow is possible. The main concern is for hazardous backcountry conditions and an increased risk for power outages as snow loads onto vegetation and infrastructure. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/KKAnBan35m
— NWS Missoula (@NWSMissoula) June 14, 2024
Similar conditions are also expected overnight on Sunday along several roads, including the I-90 East Missoula to Bearmouth, Highway 200 from Bonner to Greenough, and Highway 83 from Seeley Lake to Condon. Motorists are encouraged to “slow down and use caution” while on the road.
Residents of the areas covered by the warnings are warned of the risk of hypothermia if heading out unprepared, with temperatures expected to drop to the low 30s. Overnight, the NWS X, formerly Twitter, account said “temperatures will be dropping into the 30s tonight across valley areas,” which could also have an adverse effect on plants as frost forms.
6/15: Temperatures will be dropping into the 30s tonight across valley areas! Frost is a concern for sensitive plants, especially along the divide! The graphic below shows probabilities for temperatures to drop to 36F or colder, which is typically when frost develops. #mtwx #idwx pic.twitter.com/ON9Q0PDI14
— NWS Missoula (@NWSMissoula) June 15, 2024
While Montanans feel the chill, other parts of the U.S. are expecting more predictable warm weather for this time of year. Excessive heat watch warnings are in place in the Midwest, and also Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Further south in Texas and New Mexico, heat advisories are also in place.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Thousands of Montanans lost Medicaid coverage, not because they weren’t eligible, but due to “unapproachable and unmanageable” administrative barriers at the state health department.
That’s according to a letter signed by 66 national and state organizations sent to Gov. Greg Gianforte last week asking him to include money to add additional staff to the Department of Public Health and Human Services and update outdated software, among other requests, in his budget proposal for the 2027 biennium.
The Medicaid redetermination process took place following a freeze on disenrollments during the Covid-19 pandemic, and took a total 135,000 enrollees off of Medicaid. The state’s redetermination dashboard cites the most frequent reason for disenrolling as a lack of correspondence with the department. Many former enrollees who may still be eligible now have to apply for Medicaid again for health coverage, with longer-than-usual wait times and Medicaid providers struggling to make ends meet as applications are processed.
Health department in preliminary budget planning
The letter suggested consumer advisory groups, focus groups, surveys, and end-user testing to improve the state’s communication with clients – and said health department staffers should use plain language with clients to help reduce delays.
The state health department previously told the Daily Montanan it meets all federal standards for processing both redeterminations and new applications. Spokesperson for the department Jon Ebelt said Monday it is taking the requests in the letter under consideration in its budget planning.
“The letter makes specific budget requests, and at this time, DPHHS is in the preliminary stages of the executive budget planning process for the upcoming legislative session,” Ebelt said in a statement. “DPHHS appreciates the feedback and suggestions included in the letter and will consider them.”
The letter was addressed to Gianforte, but the Governor’s Office on Monday deferred to DPHHS in response to questions. DPHHS Director Charlie Brereton, as well as Human Services Executive Director Jessie Counts, Medicaid Chief Financial Manager Gene Hermanson and Director of Budget and Program Planning Ryan Osmundson were copied on the letter as well.
Jackie Semmens with the Montana Budget and Policy Center, told legislators Thursday the organizations who signed onto the letter included food pantries, healthcare providers and faith organizations – places people turn to when they “can’t get the benefits they qualify for in a timely manner.”
“These organizations see people coming to food pantries when they are forced to choose between paying out of pocket for prescription or feeding their family because their Medicaid determination is delayed,” Semmens said. “These 60 plus organizations have seen firsthand how strapped the department has been during the past year, which is why they have joined together to ask the governor to improve access to public assistance.”
Organizations include the Montana Food Bank Network, the Fort Peck Tribal Health Department, Montana Head Start Association and the American Heart Association.
The letter, sent June 17, said the health department cuts made in 2017 led to 19 public assistance offices across the state to close and resulted in pressure on the staff that was left.
Medicaid unwinding exacerbated these existing issues, the letter said, and “highlighted the ways in which Montana’s safety net is outdated, inaccessible, and cumbersome for those most in need.” The organizations asked that as the governor’s administration develops its 2027 biennial budget, they invest and modernize access to Montana’s safety net services.
Prior to each legislative session, the governor releases a budget with proposals for spending for the upcoming two fiscal years. The legislature ultimately has the power to appropriate funds, but the budget is a public statement of the investments the executive office wishes to make and approve. The legislature will meet again in January 2025.
Letter: state website is hard to navigate, more in-person assistance options needed
The organizations want to see more options for in-person assistance, which could include the reopening of rural public assistance offices. Applications completed in person are less likely to contain errors, the letter said, and would reduce procedural delays.
“In-person assistance is an essential lifeline for elderly, disabled, and rural individuals,” the organizations said.
The state health department’s website to apply for safety net services like Medicaid or food assistance is hard to navigate, the letter said, and during the unwinding process, phone lines were jammed with people having to wait hours to speak to someone. The organizations believe the solution to the problems is better staffing at the department, although their letter did not specify how many more employees they believe are needed.
“With rural Montanans relying on these means of application, Montana should make significant investments to improve their functionality,” the letter read.
The letter said understaffing was what led to procedural delays during the Medicaid unwinding. Ebelt previously listed limited staff as one reason for Medicaid delays, along with prioritization for individuals with current inactive coverage as well as verifying previously unreported resources. He said the state meets the federal standard of paying 90 percent of “clean claims” (claims not needing additional verification) within 30 days, and 99 percent of “clean claims” in 90 days.
About 9% of cases are still pending eligibility, Counts told legislators, translating to a little under 20,000 cases.
Daily Montanan is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Daily Montanan maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Darrell Ehrlick for questions: [email protected]. Follow Daily Montanan on Facebook and X.
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GNP’s Going to the Sun Road opens for the season
Aaron Bolton | Montana Public Radio
Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park has fully opened for the season. Park officials opened the road Saturday.
The visitor center at Logan Pass is open, but drinking water isn’t yet available.
The road is opening with some changes to the vehicle reservation system. A reservation is required from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. for cars entering through West Glacier. Reservations aren’t required at the St. Mary entrance on the east side of the park.
Shuttle services along the road will begin July 1.
Woman dies after falling into St. Mary Falls in GNP
Edward O’Brien | Montana Public Radio
A Pennsylvania woman died yesterday Sunday afternoon after falling into the water in Glacier National Park.
Park officials say the 26-year-old woman fell into the water above St. Mary Falls on the park’s east side.
According to witnesses, the woman was washed over the falls and trapped under the very cold and fast water for several minutes.
A park news release says bystanders pulled her from the water and administered CPR until emergency responders arrived.
Park rangers and an ambulance team from Babb took over CPR upon arrival.
An ALERT helicopter crew also assisted with resuscitation efforts, but the victim never regained consciousness.
The victim’s name has not yet been released pending notification of next of kin.
The death is under investigation. It is Glacier’s first fatality of the summer season.
Browning residents to see relief after being overcharged on tax bills
Shaylee Ragar | Montana Public Radio
State officials are working to get refunds to Browning residents who were overcharged on their property tax bills.
Lee Montana first reported homeowners in Browning received unusually high appraisal values and property tax bills last fall — some four times the amount they paid last year.
That led the state Department of Revenue to re-evaluate the homeowners’ properties. The agency says a computing error miscalculated the values of 385 properties in town.
Bryce Kaatz with the department told lawmakers on Monday that all affected residents should receive letters with their updated appraisals this week. He said the department is working with Glacier County to issue refunds to homeowners as quickly as possible.
Kaatz says the agency is looking at safeguards to prevent the error from happening again.
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