Lawmakers Begin Medicaid Spending Review

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Wyoming lawmakers are examining high-cost portions of the state's Medicaid budget as they try to curb the growth of the entitlement program.

Wyoming Department of Health officials briefed legislators Thursday on the first phase of a report on possible options for trimming Medicaid spending.

Department Director Tom Forslund told members of the Legislature's Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Interim Committee in Casper that the state spent more than $252 million on Medicaid last year.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports that Forslund told the committee that the costs and number of enrollees have soared in recent years.

The committee is scheduled to meet again in early September when health officials plan to give legislators more specific recommendations.