BILLINGS
A ballot initiative that would expand health insurance coverage to 30,000 Montana children also would save the state $35 million a year, according to an analysis of the proposal. Initiative 155 would cost the state about $20 million a year to operate, said Steve Seninger, a research professor with Montana Kids Count in the Bureau of Business and Economic Research at the Universi ty of Montana. Seninger's analysis says the state would save $50 million in other costs and would generate $5.5 million in new tax revenue. Most of the savings would come from a reduction in the amount of uncompensated health care that is provided to uninsured children, he said. The initiative also would generate up to $75 million in matching federal dollars, some of which would be used for new jobs in health care and supporting industries, Seninger said. He estimated that state tax revenue from the new jobs would be about $5.5 million a year. The initiative would cover 30,000 of the state's 37,000 uninsured children by broadening eligibility requirements for the Children's Health Insurance Program and by offering families financial assistance to pay for private insurance premiums. Backers have been gathering signatures to place it on the November ballot. (AP)
