The Wyoming Association of Churches held a protest rally Thursday in Cheyenne  against Governor Matt Mead's decision not to support expansion of the Medicaid Program in Wyoming under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Association Vice President Rodger McDaniel says the governor's decision means roughly 17,000 Wyoming residents will not have insurance and will have inadequate health care. He says the decision will  also end up costing the state money and will mean Wyoming hospitals will end up on the hook for about $200 million in uncompensated health care costs.

McDaniel says that while he understands many people may not like Obamacare, the governor's decision puts the importance of making a political statement ahead of the best interests of the state and of the people who will not have health care.

Mead has said he is concerned the federal government can't be trusted to pick up the tab for the expansion, and that it might end up costing Wyoming millions of dollars through 2020.

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