Letters to the editor April 13

Support the library

I am writing this letter to thank our librarians in Bigfork, Kalispell and Columbia Falls for what they do to enrich our communities. 

National Library Week (April 7-13) is an opportune time to celebrate their hard work and dedication to our communities. Our libraries foster a welcoming space for us to be continual learners and for feeding our imaginations. 

Thank you for providing us access to stories. You offer story time for babies, toddlers and preschoolers along with activities that promote listening, dramatic play as well as math and science activities. You offer a rich assortment of programs for teens. Not only do you continually expand book, movie and magazine collections but you also support us with digital resources for navigating modern life. 

With the recent closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, funding for our libraries has become more precarious and will require even more generosity from our community. Help celebrate National Library week and show your appreciation to our librarians who help transform our lives. Librarians, we thank you for nourishing our appetite for knowledge and for strengthening our community.  

— Carol Minnick Santa, Kalispell

Health insurance reform

It’s a great triumph that HB 398 has come as far as it has in our state Legislature. As a concerned Montanan, I am writing in strong support of HB 398, a bill that makes crucial reforms to how health insurance companies review and deny coverage for medical services. The bill prioritizes patients first in medical decision-making and ensures that qualified, licensed professionals make adverse determinations when an insurer denies or reduces coverage with relevant experience.

Too often, patients find their doctor-recommended treatments denied by insurers using vague or opaque criteria. HB 398 changes that. Only physicians or licensed health care professionals with experience treating the relevant condition may be required to issue these adverse determinations. It also ensures these decisions are overseen by an in-state medical director, making the process more accountable to Montana standards and patients.

Another essential feature of this bill is its protection during transitions between health plans. Under HB 398, when someone switches insurance, the new insurer must honor pre-approved treatments for at least three months. This ensures continuity of care when patients are already vulnerable and protects people with chronic illnesses or severe conditions from being caught in medical bureaucratic limbo.

House Bill 398 is about restoring trust in our health care system, putting medical decisions back in the hands of professionals who understand patients’ needs, not out-of-state reviewers with little context, ensuring stability for patients navigating insurance changes, and giving families peace of mind.

Montanans deserve transparency, consistency and compassion in their health care, and this bill brings us closer to that goal. House Bill 398 has passed its committee in the Senate and now only needs to be voted on in the Senate. I urge every senator to vote yes on this bill.

— Trey Webster, Kalispell