Serving Montana’s Seniors

Serving Montana's Seniors From leading the fight against privatizing Social Security, to making sure Seniors have access to quality, affordable health care, Max has been a champion for America's greatest generation.

With more than 130,000 seniors living in Montana who rely on Medicare, Max understands how vital Medicare is to the quality of our seniors' lives; in many cases, it can literally mean a matter of life and death. That’s why Max has consistently worked to protect Medicare and added a prescription drug program as well.

Max is also determined to improve access to health care services for seniors in rural Montana. Max understands that the current health care system puts rural areas at a disadvantage—making medication and treatment less accessible and more expensive than it is in cities. Max is leading the effort to change this situation and give Montana's seniors the quality health care they deserve.

Giving Our Seniors Affordable Access To The Prescription Drugs They Need

  • Max’s leadership helped pass the Medicare Modernization Act which gives approximately 80,000 Montana seniors access to much needed prescription drugs.
  • Max has introduced a measure to amend the Medicare Part D program allowing the government to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors.
  • Max met with the CEOs of the major pharmaceutical companies to urge them to continue to provide free or discounted prescription drug programs for seniors who could not otherwise afford such drugs.
  • Max introduced legislation to help make the Medicare prescription drug program less confusing for seniors and prohibits unfair plan marketing practices to Medicare beneficiaries.

Protecting And Strengthening Social Security

  • Max led the opposition against the Bush Administration’s attempts to privatize Social Security and reduce our seniors’ benefits.
  • Max helped restore $200 million to the Social Security Administration’s administrative funds which kept 10 Social Security offices open across Montana open and able to serve seniors.
  • Max helped author the Social Security Protection Act which was signed into law and strengthened the Social Security program and protected seniors by cracking down on deceptive practices by people in the private sector, enhancing the financial security for vulnerable beneficiaries, reducing disincentives to employment for disabled individuals, and improving program integrity in order to save money for the Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds for taxpayers.
  • Max got fed up with the Social Security Administration and United States Postal Service for the delay in delivery of social security checks to beneficiaries and insisted that both the SSA and USPS review their operations to help seniors start receiving their checks on time.

Ensuring Workers Get The Retirement Benefits They Deserve

  • Max played a crucial role in getting the Pension Protection Act of 2006 signed into law which helped to secure pensions and protect against pension defaults, securing retirement for millions of Americans.
  • Max cosponsored the Retirement Security and Savings Act, which called for increased benefit and contribution limits for workers’ individual retirement accounts, as well as protection of investment of employee contributions to 401(k) plans.
  • Max cosponsored The Railroad Retirement and Survivor’s Act which modernized the financing of the railroad retirement system and provided enhanced benefits to employees and beneficiaries, especially widows.

Assuring Seniors Quality Health Care Services Across Montana

  • Max helped author the Critical Access Hospital Program which has allowed rural hospitals to thrive and care for patients all across Montana.
  • Max helped pass a provision which lessened the administrative burden on Montana’s Critical Access Hospitals and allows them to pay more attention to caring for their patients.
  • Max introduced the Safety Net Preservation Act to protect Montana’s community-owned, non-profit rural health centers which serve an estimated 80,000 Montanans each year.
  • Max has been an outspoken opponent to any changes in Medicare or Medicaid that were not designed to also be effective in rural states like Montana.
  • Max worked with the senate to fully fund the Rural Hospital Flexibility Grants Program, which is vital to keeping many small hospitals in Montana open. This $25 million grant was greater than grants any other state received.

Fighting To Protect The Medicare Program And Increase Payments To Seniors

  • Max led the fight in passing The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 and helped prevent a cut of more than $40 million from Montana’s Medicaid program and more than $90 million in cuts to nursing homes that provide services to Medicaid beneficiaries
  • Max helped to write the Medicare law that gave hospitals across the state thousands in increased federal funds.
  • Max fought and won in protecting Montana from Medicaid cuts up to $25 million.
  • Max voted to create a Medicare “lockbox” to protect Medicare surpluses from being used to pay for other programs or tax breaks.
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