Medicaid

In State of the State address, Matt Mead says we can't afford to turn down federal revenue.

An official with Cheyenne Regional Medical Center says he doesn't understand why some state legislators don't want to accept federal money to expand the Medicaid program in Wyoming when they have no problem taking other federal funds.

The state’s failure to implement Medicaid expansion has aggravated a sharp rise in the uncompensated care written off by the Wyoming Medical Center, hospital officials said recently.

Governor Matt Mead, in his closing remarks to the Wyoming House of Representatives Friday told lawmakers that healthcare remains a problem.

The 63rd Wyoming Legislature has formally been sworn in and is starting work at the State Capitol in Cheyenne.

The Wyoming Department of Health is inching closer to a state-friendly way of expanding health care services for the poor and uninsured, its director said. "The question is, what is applicable and what is more likely to work in Wyoming," Tom Forslund said Saturday...

Expanding Medicaid services in Wyoming would help lower bad debt and charity care at hospitals, the president of the Wyoming Medical Center said. "Hospitals in the states where Medicaid expansion has occurred, hospitals have seen their bad debt and charity care decrease, so that means that that's better for the hospitals," Vickie Diamond said. ...

The chairman of a Wyoming legislative committee that that heard public testimony Wednesday in favor of a bill that would expand the Medicaid program said the committee won't vote on the matter Wednesday and likely wouldn't consider it Thursday, either.

The state Senate has voted to introduce a bill that would expand the Medicaid system in Wyoming, but even the sponsor says it faces long odds of becoming law.

The House on Thursday voted against a bill endorsed by the Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee. It would have provided reduced Medicaid coverage for over 17,000 people in the state.