Read an excellent explainer from the Wyoming Women’s Foundation here.
Medicaid expansion in Wyoming would benefit tens of thousands of people, and perhaps no group more than young single mothers in need of assistance.
In fact, there are two bills before the Wyoming Legislature that would dramatically increase healthcare access for this population.
Healthy Wyoming has been fighting diligently to support “House Bill 80 – Medical Treatment Opportunity Act.” This bill would expand the population of people in the state who would become newly eligible for Medicaid coverage.
At the same time we also support “House Bill 4 – Medicaid twelve month postpartum coverage.” This bill would extend the amount of time new mothers are eligible for Wyoming Medicaid.
So, HB-80 expands the population of who would become eligible for Medicaid—namely, low-income people who do not currently qualify—while HB-4 extends the time period that new mothers receive coverage. New mothers already qualify for Wyoming Medicaid, but only for two months.
Medicaid expansion (HB-80) would expand the Medicaid program to more lower-income Wyomingites. Currently, Wyoming Medicaid is only available to people who are both low-income and who meet a certain set of criteria—for instance, if a person is pregnant, disabled, blind, or newly a mother. It would mean that more of our friends and neighbors who work lower-paying jobs that don’t provide employer-based insurance could gain coverage. It would remove many prohibitive restrictions.
Meanwhile, Medicaid extension would apply to a group of people—new mothers—who already qualify for coverage under Wyoming Medicaid’s Pregnant Women program, but only for 60 days after they give birth. HB-4 would extend that period of time to 12 months. This extension would allow new mothers to have continuous coverage for up to a year after birth, ensuring access to healthcare in a vulnerable time of their and their child’s life. Women commonly lose health insurance in Wyoming after they give birth.
To be clear, women in states that have expanded their Medicaid programs do not have to worry about being cut off from healthcare two months after giving birth, because people who would qualify for this program would also qualify for Medicaid. Since Wyoming has not expanded Medicaid, HB-4 would be an alternative means to ensure new mothers have access to care for a longer period of time to ensure they and their child remain healthy.
