“We are winning,” said the graffiti in Seattle, not “We have won.” It’s a way of telling in which you can feel successful without feeling smug, in which you can feel challenged without feeling defeated. – Rebecca Solnit, Hope in the Dark
That’s the takeaway from this morning’s committee hearing on Medicaid expansion: We are winning. Even though the bill failed 2-3, our movement is winning.
And that’s entirely thanks to you. We are so grateful to the thousands and thousands of you across the state who worked endlessly making phone calls, sending emails and showing your support for this life-saving legislation. We are grateful that you shared your stories, bared your souls, and called upon our state’s leaders to step up on behalf of 24,000 Wyomingites.
Danielle Arnoux was among the many dozens of Healthy Wyoming coalition members and supporters to testify at Senate Labor this morning on behalf of Medicaid expansion and HB162. “If I wasn’t able to get Medicaid, I don’t know if I would be here testifying right now … I work, I work hard, I have a master’s-level education, and I truly resent … when I hear people talk about how if I have Medicaid it’s going to cause me to be dependent.” Read more from Morgan Hughes in the CST.
As we heard this morning, this is a matter of life and death. Healthcare is a matter of life and death. Expanding medicaid is a matter of life and death. 111 people die every year in Wyoming because they don’t have access to Medicaid coverage because of the expansion gap.
We’re here for them. And we’re here with you. We didn’t win this morning. But we are winning.
And today was only the beginning. Together, there is so much that we can do.
We’d love for you to take a minute to thank the two senators who voted “Yes” in today’s vote! We’re going to need to encourage them and other supportive lawmakers as our movement goes forward.
Here’s their contact info:
- Sen. Fred Baldwin (R-Kemmerer) Fred.Baldwin@wyoleg.gov
- Sen. Dan Furphy (R-Laramie) Dan.Furphy@wyoleg.gov
Want more information about Medicaid expansion and why it matters?
