By Associated Press - Wednesday, December 4, 2019

CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming’s governor promises to give any bill passed by the Legislature to expand Medicaid in the state a “fair hearing,” even though he has strong reservations about the idea.

The Legislature’s Joint Revenue Committee recently endorsed a bill that would allow the governor to expand Medicaid to include people below 138% of the federal poverty line, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.

All states surrounding Wyoming except South Dakota have expanded Medicaid enrollment under the Affordable Care Act. The committee’s approval means Wyoming lawmakers may take up Medicaid expansion when they meet in Cheyenne this winter.

Gov. Mark Gordon and many Wyoming legislators, however, worry costs could exceed estimates.

“I’d have to see the bill,” Gordon said in an interview Tuesday.

Medicaid expansion in Wyoming would cost $154 million in the first two years. Of that, the state would only cover $18 million, according to the Wyoming Department of Health.

The department estimates 19,000 Wyomingites would likely be covered during those first years.

Instead of Medicaid expansion, Gordon has called for a Wyoming-specific plan to provide care to more people in the state.

Wyoming should consider “state-centered options,” Gordon said.

He did not offer specific ideas to include in the proposal.

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