Legal Action Center

Montana is becoming an early test of Medicaid work requirements — and it's exposing a troubling reality.

State officials are being asked to build costly new systems, hire staff, and navigate complex eligibility rules while already facing budget shortfalls. Meanwhile, eligible people risk losing health coverage because of paperwork and reporting requirements.

More bureaucracy. More costs. More barriers to care.

Learn more:

Montana Hurries To Adopt Trump’s Medicaid Work Rules Amid Budget Woes - KFF Health News The state is ramping up to implement the federal work requirements six months ahead of the deadline. But Montana is one of several states already struggling to pay for health services.

LAC IS HIRING! We're looking for a finance associate to join our hybrid NYC team!

The ideal candidate has at least 3 years of nonprofit accounting/finance experience and a proven track record of accuracy, attention to detail, and a commitment to delivering exceptional accounting work while meeting deadlines.

Learn more and apply here: https://bit.ly/LACFinanceAssociate

And please share widely!

ICYMI, big win in Maryland this week: Governor Wes Moore signed MD’s HB 1249 into law!

This bill will SAVE LIVES by prohibiting recovery residences from denying admission to people who take medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD).

Sponsored by Delegate Terri Hill, HB 1249 will also equip the state with tools to enforce these anti-discrimination protections, paving the way for improved access to and reduced stigma surrounding addiction treatment.

LAC is thrilled to have helped achieve this incredible outcome through our advocacy efforts! Learn more about the bill in testimony LAC submitted here: https://bit.ly/HB1249Testimony

Medicaid is a lifeline for millions of people across the country — including people in addiction recovery, people returning home after incarceration, and people living with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

As cuts and changes to Medicaid and SNAP move forward under HR 1, we’re collecting stories from people directly impacted. Through our Faces of Medicaid campaign, we’re highlighting the real human consequences behind these policy changes.

If you’re a Medicaid or SNAP enrollee in recovery or reentry — or trying to enroll to support your recovery or reentry — we invite you to share how these changes are affecting you, your health, your stability, and your access to care.

Your story will help inform our ongoing advocacy at the state and federal level to mitigate harm for the communities most affected.

Share your story today:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RKYRTKB

"Everyone—regardless of their identity, origin, status, or role —deserves safety, dignity, and care when utilizing 911."

UChicago Urban Labs' new resource, the 911 Callers' Bill of Rights, outlines a vision for emergency response systems rooted in compassion, transparency, accessibility, and accountability — and affirms that every person deserves emergency assistance that is “compassionate, respectful, and responsive to their needs.”

LAC was pleased to provide feedback to help ensure the resource reflected the realities faced by our constituents (people impacted by the criminal legal system, people living with HIV, and people who use drugs/have substance use disorders) who are disproportionately harmed by punitive emergency response systems.

Learn more and explore the resource here www.transform911.org/911cbor and please share widely!

911 Callers’ Bill of Rights | TRANSFORM911 911 Callers’ Bill of Rights The 911 Callers’ Bill of Rights: What All Users Should Know is a guiding framework that outlines what every person should expect when reaching out to 911. This bill provides the community with a point of reference for service standards and acts as a north star to tran...

ICYMI: Must-read New York Daily News piece from LAC’s Policy Research Associate Jason Rodriguez and Freedom Agenda Co-Founder and Co-Director Darren Mack overviews the urgent need to reduce NYC's inflated DOC budget.

They argue that funds should instead go toward the alternatives to incarceration necessary to close Rikers Island and deliver on the Mayor's community safety commitments.

“New Yorkers shouldn’t be asked to accept that our jail system operates four times less efficiently than most others, let alone foot the bill for it while DOC programs that actually deliver safety remain underfunded.”

Read it here:

A new era calls for rethinking Rikers spending Mayor Mamdani has vowed to “make city government the most efficient it can be,” and has started to address one of the most glaring, least defensible inefficiencies in the city’s budget: a Department of Correction (DOC) that operates with st…

What should a compassionate crisis response system look like?

A new report from UChicago Urban Labs examines how 911 and 988 systems can coordinate more effectively during behavioral health crises — with the goal of reducing harm, building trust, and avoiding unnecessary law-enforcement involvement.

LAC was pleased to provide feedback to ensure the report reflected the realities faced by our constituents: people impacted by the criminal legal system, people living with HIV, and people who use drugs/have substance use disorders. These communities are disproportionately affected by surveillance, stigma, coercive intervention, and information sharing practices that can trigger discrimination or criminalization.

Learn more through the link!

harris.uchicago.edu

Enhanced ACA subsidies dramatically lowered uninsured rates and helped drive record enrollment.

But Congress letting them expire at the end of last year has already forced millions into worse coverage or out of the market entirely...

Learn more via KFF:

What We Know So Far About 2026 ACA Marketplace Enrollment, Premiums, and Deductibles | KFF This analysis examines early indicators of how the expiration of enhanced premium tax credits has affected effectuated enrollment levels (i.e., enrollment among people who have paid their premiums), plan selections, and out-of-pocket costs in 2026, drawing on plan selection and effectuated enrollmen...

With two important health privacy bills in Albany this session, NYS has the chance to be a national leader in protecting people’s right to confidential healthcare!

Both the EHR Segmentation Bill (bit.ly/NYEHRFav) and the NY Health Information Privacy Act (bit.ly/NYHealthInfoPrivacyAct) would go a long way in expanding health privacy protections, which are especially important for those with sensitive or criminalized information in their health record.

In the current national context, and with more health records moving across state lines, these two bills are more important than ever. We strongly urge the NYS legislature to pass both!

www.lac.org

"After rising exponentially since 1979, overdose rates have finally begun to decline, falling more than 29 percent since 2022. President Trump has repeatedly claimed that stopping these fatalities is a priority. But recent moves by his administration threaten to stall or even reverse this progress."

Learn more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/opinion/harm-reduction-addiction-trump.html