Matt Rosendale Announces First Drop in Montana Health Insurance Premiums

Montana state auditor and insurance commissioner Matt Rosendale announced Friday the first drop in health insurance rates on Montana’s health insurance exchange.

Rosendale spokesman Kyle Schmauch said Friday that Montana managed to lower health insurance premiums through a reinsurance program, which Montana Democrat governor and 2020 presidential candidate Steve Bullock initially opposed in 2017.

“This is the very first time we’ve seen this,” said Schmauch. “All the insurers on average have premiums that are going down. When was the last time you heard about health insurance premiums going anywhere but up?”

He continued, “The reason why is because we finally got put into place a new type of program that is a financial backstop for the insurance companies that Commissioner Rosendale has been trying to get established since he became State Auditor.”

Rosendale’s victory in securing lower health insurance rates for Montana serves as another instance of Republicans offering dynamic solutions that will lower costs for average citizens. President Donald Trump has promised that Republicans will become the party of health care.

“In the years since then we have seen numerous other states with more competent governors get on board and create their own reinsurance programs,” he said. “We finally talked the governor into it and he signed the reinsurance bill in the 2019 session, and now we are seeing the results of lower health insurance rates from all three carriers.”

Rosendale announced earlier in June that he will run for Montana’s at-large congressional seat to put Montanans and America first.

“My commitment to give back to Montana has never been stronger. I’m running for the U.S. House to serve and work for the people of Montana. I pledge to always listen, represent our values, and protect our Montana way of life,” Rosendale said when he announced his candidacy for Congress.

Rosendale’s campaign released its first campaign ad on Monday entitled, “Working for Montana,” which captured the Montana Republican’s work to give Montanans lower healthcare costs, cut spending, while never taking a pay raise while in office.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana proposed a 14.1 average premium decrease for the roughly 20,000 people it covers, while PacificSource proposed a 13.4 decrease for the 11,500 Montanans it covers, while the Montana Health Co-op proposed an eight percent decrease for its 20,700 members.