Hospital & Medical Cost in Montana (2026)

Hospital costs in Montana typically run $1,500–$3,500 for an uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit, with ACA Medicaid expanded. Montana's combination of Montana HELP Section 1115 Medicaid waiver (one of the few state Medicaid expansions with monthly premiums + workforce engagement framework), 47 Critical Access Hospitals (one of the highest per-capita CAH counts in the U.S. covering Eastern Plains and Western Montana rural counties), $250K malpractice non-economic damages cap under MCA § 25-9-411, Billings (Billings Clinic, St. Vincent's) + Bozeman (Bozeman Health) + Missoula (Providence St. Patrick) regional-system concentration, $38.45/hr BLS RN mean, and Montana DPHHS extensive CON program.

State Montana
Cities Covered 0
Typical uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit $1,500 – $3,500
BLS Registered Nurse wage $38.45/hr

Montana payer mix, regulation & malpractice drivers

  • Surprise billing protection: Moderate state statute — partial state-level surprise billing protection alongside federal NSA
  • Certificate of Need (CON) status: Extensive Certificate of Need — broad CON program covering hospitals, ASCs, imaging, and surgical capacity
  • Medicaid expansion status: ACA Medicaid expanded — coverage to 138% federal poverty level
  • Malpractice non-economic damages cap: Hard statutory non-economic damages cap — $250,000 non-economic cap under MCA § 25-9-411
  • Hospital price transparency mandate: Federal CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180) only — no state-level supplement
  • Dominant health insurance market structure: Regional-system dominant — vertically-integrated regional health system shapes market

Montana medical board & physician licensing

  • License status: Statewide license required
  • License board: Montana Board of Medical Examiners (BME) (official site)
  • Permit: Montana Board of Medical Examiners MD/DO license required; DEA Schedule II-V + Montana Prescription Drug Registry (MPDR); hospital privileging at Billings Clinic / Bozeman Health / St. Vincent Healthcare / Providence St. Patrick; CON required through Montana DPHHS under MCA § 50-5-301; Montana Health Improvement Plan (HELP) Section 1115 Medicaid waiver

How medical care costs vary in Montana

State-specific code or insurance rule: Montana operates the Montana Health and Economic Livelihood Partnership Act (HELP) Section 1115 Medicaid expansion waiver — one of the few state Medicaid expansions that imposes monthly premiums on enrollees above 50% FPL plus a workforce development engagement requirement (technically not a 'work requirement' but a workforce-engagement framework) — and Montana operates one of the longer-running rural-Critical-Access-Hospital (CAH) ecosystems in the country with 47 CAHs serving Eastern Plains and Western Montana counties (one of the highest per-capita CAH counts in the U.S.), plus Montana Code Annotated § 25-9-411 caps medical malpractice non-economic damages at $250,000.

Cities in Montana

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