In a Monday press conference, Mead said he would press the state legislature to act on a Medicaid expansion plan put forward last week by the state Department of Health.
“I agree it is not a good piece of legislation, but, as I see where we are, I think we have to be realistic and say this is the current law of the land and we need to either go forward with this or if the legislature wants to come up with a different plan, I certainly would be open to that,” Mead said Monday, according to the Casper Star-Tribune. “But I don’t think we can say to those people in Wyoming who are working who cannot get insurance that we’re not going to do anything.”
Wyoming is one of a handful of Republican-led states that has negotiated with the federal Department of Health and Human Services to come up with their own version of Medicaid expansion. The Wyoming Health Department’s plan, called the Strategy for Health, Access, Responsibility and Employment, would set up two tiers for Medicaid recipients: All participants would make co-payments, and those with higher incomes would pay monthly premiums of $25 to $50. Participants would have access to employment assistance programs like job search services and vocational rehabilitation programs.
The SHARE plan would cover an estimated 17,600 low-income Wyoming residents and help reduce the $200 million in uncompensated care state hospitals provide. The Health Department said it would add 800 jobs without any additional costs to the state. Accepting federal funding would mean up to $100 million for the state.
