Gov. Mead initially was not a fan of the Affordable Care Act. “I opposed the Affordable Care Act and sued to stop it,” he said, according to the report. “However, we lost the legal and political battles and now we must deal with that fact.”
He now believes expansion will be beneficial. “Expansion would help cover healthcare costs for roughly 20,000 Wyoming citizens — our friends and neighbors — many who are working,” Gov. Mead said, according to the report. “It would bring an estimated $268 million of our federal tax dollars back to the state and help with the enormous uncompensated care costs facing our hospitals.”
Still, many Republican lawmakers are concerned about the cost of Medicaid expansion, as well as the federal government not making good on its promise to pay 90 percent of the cost in the future.
Gov. Mead encouraged lawmakers to revisit the idea of expanding Medicaid, and claimed he will support “language that protects [Wyoming] should the federal government renege on their financial promise,” according to the report.
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