PHOENIX - The Wyoming Senate rejected a measure to expand Medicaid in the state, a step Gov. Matt Mead had urged in an effort to bring more federal money to Wyoming.
The Senate voted down an amendment that would have expanded the Medicaid program as part of the Affordable Care Act. Under the law, states can choose to make more people eligible for Medicaid and receive a substantial amount of federal funding to cover much of it.
Washington state reported an expected fiscal year 2015 savings of $318.6 million from expansion under the ACA, largely the result of federal funds covering individuals who were previously using state resources. Wyoming, stung, by low energy prices, has been searching for ways to help get its bottom line back in order.
"Expansion would help cover healthcare costs for roughly twenty thousand Wyoming citizens – our friends and neighbors – many who are working," Mead said before the vote. "It would bring an estimated $268 million of our federal tax dollars back to the state and help with the enormous uncompensated care costs facing our hospitals. This is good for our economic future and it is the right thing to do as the state faces this current revenue shortfall.
"I opposed the Affordable Care Act and sued to stop it," he continued. "However, we lost the legal and political battles and now we must deal with that fact. Wyoming receives approximately $2.3 billion in federal money each year. Medicaid expansion would add to that total."
But after the Senate voted Friday not to add Medicaid expansion to the state's two-year budget, Mead showed frustration.
"The Medicaid expansion amendment to the budget failed," he said in a statement. "We will not provide health care coverage for 20,000 Wyoming citizens. Wyoming's hospitals continue to struggle with the burden of uncompensated care. Millions of federal tax dollars paid by Wyoming people will continue to flow to other states. I am disappointed. Support for Medicaid expansion in Wyoming is strong and continues to grow. I appreciate the Wyoming employers, businesses and associations who have stepped forward in support of Medicaid expansion. I believe it is the right way to go. Their voices will continue to be important in the months ahead."
