Wyoming lawmakers shut down bill to expand Medicaid coverage

The Wyoming House of Representatives shut down a bill to expand Medicaid coverage, but the Senate wants to spend more than $250,000 to continue studying the issue.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports the House on Monday voted down the bill, which would have expanded Medicaid coverage as part of the federal Affordable Care Act, along with putting work requirements on those who would be eligible for the expanded coverage.

The bill would have given the governor veto power over the state’s expansion, and create an option for Wyoming to automatically drop out of the program if the federal government stopped paying 90 percent of the cost of expansion.

While the House declined Medicaid expansion, the Senate approved a bill to once again study expansion. The bill would spend $260,000 for Wyoming to study the benefits, costs and drawbacks of expansion.