Wyoming lawmakers have again voted against expanding the federal Medicaid health insurance program to cover more people in the state.
The all-Republican Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted 3-2 Wednesday to kill a Medicaid expansion bill that had passed the House.
Wyoming has repeatedly voted against expanding Medicaid and is among a dozen states that haven’t done so under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.
The federal government picks up half the cost of regular Medicaid and 90% of the expansion costs, and an additional 5% incentive in the last COVID stimulus package had raised the hopes of supporters on finally getting the expansion.
Concerns remained among committee members about Medicaid’s long-term costs to the state, whether Congress would live up to its promised funding, and the growing U.S. national debt – arguments raised during all the previous expansion debates.