State health officials say Montana needs to continue a boost in funding to deal with the heavy caseload in the foster child system. The increasing number of children entering Montana’s foster care system is stabilizing after a spike in recent years, according to the Department of Public Health and Human Services.

A new survey suggests Montanans who enrolled in the state’s Medicaid expansion program are healthier, less likely to put off treatment and more able to access mental health and substance abuse care. Forty-three percent of those who responded to the nonprofit Montana Healthcare Foundation’s survey said their general health has improved since joining the program. Nearly 70 percent reported improved access to medical care.

Anglers, boaters, farmers and conservationists are all backing a new proposal at the state Legislature to spend $6.5 million fighting aquatic invasive species , but they disagree over who should foot the bill. The measure had its first hearing Monday.

Montana’s U.S. senators expect a bill that would permanently re-establish the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) to move forward this week. The LWCF expired in September due to congressional inaction.

Drug-addicted pregnant women could seek addiction treatment without the fear of prosecution or having their child taken away under a proposed bill in the Legislature.

The Montana House narrowly approved a bill Monday to make it harder for state lawmakers to raise taxes. The Republican majority advanced House Bill 148 despite a handful of their party joining Democrats in opposition.

An obscure but important player in the health care industry is in the crosshairs of Montana elected officials, who are proposing new regulations aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs. State Insurance Commissioner Matt Rosendale , an elected Republican, asked state lawmakers Friday to consider additional rules on the contracts between health insurance companies and what he refers to as the middlemen of the pharmaceutical drug industry.

Gov. Bullock says the state of the state is pretty good; Republicans want to tweak Medicaid expansion; Both parties appear ready to address the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous women; And the apparent cover-up of an aide's firing over sexual harassment raises questions of how seriously Governor Bullock — and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio — take that issue. Learn more now on "Capitol Talk."

A meeting about Montana’s wolf population turned testy Wednesday night in Kalispell. At one point, a man stood up amidst the sea of green camo, flannel and down and called out that he’s not advocating that everybody go out and buy poison. But, “If we have to kiss heiny to the Senate or whoever it is and get it done legislatively, maybe that’s what we ought to do.”

A day after the long-anticipated Republican plan to continue Medicaid expansion was revealed, House Democrats reacted with strong criticism. "Frankly, right now, I don’t know what there is to negotiate about,” says Casey Schreiner, the Democratic House minority leader.