He and his little ones — 11, 11 and 9 — are insured through Medicaid expansion. If it weren’t for the program, set to sunset in June 2025, he believes he might be in deep debt paying for health care for his family.

At a rally outside the Montana State Capitol on Wednesday, advocates made the argument that Montana's Medicaid expansion program has already been a success and state lawmakers should keep it going.

Chet Phillips has three children, and he’s a graduate student in social work at the University of Montana. He and his little ones — 11, 11 and 9 — are