AP 9-29,2015
Gov. Matt Mead says he will make another attempt to expand Medicaid to 17,000 low-income adults.
But Mead says the new attempt will take a different tact by starting with his budget request to the Legislature.
Past attempts to expand Medicaid have failed in Wyoming’s Republican-dominated Legislature.
Mead tells the Casper Star-Tribune that with revenue from oil, natural gas and coal on the decline, the tens of millions in federal Medicaid dollars could help the state.
As part of the regular state budgeting process, Mead gives lawmakers his budget requests by Dec. 1. He said he will submit two versions of the Health Department budget – one with and one without expansion.
Medicaid expansion has traditionally first been reviewed by non-budget committees where the idea has faced stiff opposition.