In July 2003, Montana Governor Judy Martz appointed the state’s Public Health Care Advisory Council, kicking off a health care redesign process that could affect the health and well-being of all Montanans. The advisory council is working with the Montana Department of Health and Human Services on recommendations to the 2005 Legislature regarding Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Mental Health Services Plan. This report compares the rhetoric to the truth about publicly funded health care.