Gov. Mead on Optional Medicaid Expansion Under ACA

Governor Matt Mead says he and the legislature are continuing to study the optional medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

The Wyoming Legislature chose not to participate in the optional expansion last winter, but Governor Mead directed the Wyoming Department of Health to continue studying the implications of the expansion for Wyoming. The Department recently released a report which lays out the options for the state to enter the expansion.

Governor Mead said the report shows that in seven years if Wyoming participate in the optional expansion it would save the state $47 million dollars. If the state does not do the optional expansion within that time period, it would cost state $28 million dollars. Governor Mead said that is " the cold hard math as to whether or not Wyoming does the expansion or not."

Under the optional medicaid expansion, the federal government would pick up 100 percent of the cost of the expansion group for the first three years and then the federal share declines until it reaches 90 percent of the cost. Governor Mead says he has reservations about whether or not the federal government will be able to live up to their end of the deal.