Latest news with #Wyomingites
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Wyoming residents voice support for voter registration changes
CHEYENNE — Beginning July 1, Wyoming voters will be required to provide proof of state residency and U.S. citizenship when registering to vote, something Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray has been advocating for years. The move comes after the Wyoming Legislature passed House Bill 156 in February, a piece of legislation Gov. Mark Gordon let go into law without his signature. The public comment period for rules related to the change began May 5 and lasts until June 20. Wednesday afternoon, Gray's office held an in-person and virtual meeting to allow people to voice their opinions about the proposed rules. All attendees who spoke during the meeting expressed support for the new law, and made some minor recommendations for the Secretary of State to consider before a final version of the law is published. Wyoming voters will be required to be a state resident for at least 30 days before casting their ballots, and must present proof of residency and citizenship when registering to vote. Last year, a similar piece of legislation was approved by the Wyoming Legislature, but vetoed by Gordon on the grounds that the regulations exceeded Gray's legal authority. The 2025 legislation grants the Secretary of State that authority. 'Providing proof of United States citizenship and proof of residency has been a key priority of our administration,' Gray said Wednesday, 'and this rulemaking marks over a year-and-a-half-long standoff with Gov. Mark Gordon and myself concerning the need for documentary proof of citizenship and residency to ensure a reasonable means to follow our constitutional obligations of ensuring only U.S. citizens and only Wyomingites are voting in Wyoming elections.' Gray said the veto last year was very troubling, and there were a lot of inaccurate statements made by the governor. 'We didn't give up. We went to the Legislature, and the people won, weighing the governor back down, and the bill became law without his signature,' he said. Rep. John Bear, R-Gillette, and the former chairman of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus, a hardline group of Republican lawmakers, was the primary sponsor of the bill. He spoke during Wednesday's public hearing, saying this bill will build confidence in Wyoming elections. 'Prior to introducing this bill, we conducted a poll of likely voters in the state of Wyoming. It was a very scientific poll, and this particular issue had over 74% support, and we saw that as we traveled the state,' he said. Voter Meeting From left, Elena Campbell speaks on Zoom, while C.J. Young, Election Division director; Jesse Naiman, deputy secretary of state; and Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray listen during a public comment meeting about voter identification rules in the Capitol Extension on Wednesday. Platte County Clerk Malcolm Ervin, who also serves as chairman of the Wyoming County Clerks Association, weighed in Wednesday, as well, with a few minor suggested changes. One recommendation concerned the use of Wyoming student identification cards as a document to prove residency for voter registration. He suggested the ID cards be required to display the voter's legal name, not a chosen name. He said most of his concerns regarding the 2025 legislation were quelled by the fact that there is a 'last-ditch' effort that allows people to show proof of residency or citizenship if they don't have the required documentation to vote outlined in the new law. If someone doesn't have valid identification forms or lacks a Wyoming driver's license and a Social Security number to prove residency, they can provide other documentation, such as a utility bill, bank statement or a pay stub under the proposed rules. To prove U.S. citizenship, one must produce a document already outlined in law, including a Wyoming driver's license, Wyoming ID card, a valid U.S. passport, a certificate of U.S. citizenship, a certificate of naturalization, a U.S. military draft record or a Selective Service registration acknowledgement card, a consular report of birth abroad issued by the U.S. Department of State, or an original or certified copy of a birth certificate in the U.S. bearing an official seal. 'I want to be clear that we see that adaptation as a last-ditch effort, if we've exhausted all other options. It's our last option on the table, specifically to ensure nobody is disenfranchised from voting,' Ervin said. The other concern he had that was addressed in the new legislation is that post office boxes in Wyoming will only count as proof of residency if the person lists their residential address on their voter registration application form. Another virtual attendee spoke in favor of the new law. Mark Koep, chairman of the Crook County Republican Party, echoed Rep. Bear's statements of statewide support. 'Overwhelmingly, the voters of Wyoming — and I talk to a lot of people — support these rules that you have in place,' he said. 'And so, I just want to make that heard on this chat to the media in the room: the people of Wyoming want these rules.' Since 2000, there have been four convictions of voter fraud in Wyoming, according to The Heritage Foundation, all involving U.S. citizens. When the public comment period closes on June 20, it will once again be up to Gordon to accept or reject the proposed rules. Under Gray's proposed rules, a valid Wyoming driver's license will be adequate proof of identity, residency and U.S. citizenship, so long as it lists a Wyoming address. Tribal identification cards issued by either the Eastern Shoshone or Northern Arapaho tribes, or other federally recognized tribes, will also count as proof of residency if a Wyoming address is listed. If the applicant doesn't have the forms of identification present at the time of registration, they must provide on the voter registration application form their Wyoming driver's license number and one of any of the following documents: U.S. passport; a driver's license or ID card issued by the federal government, any state or outlying possession of the United States; a photo ID card issued by the University of Wyoming, a Wyoming community college, or a Wyoming public school; an ID card issued to a dependent of a member of the United States Armed Forces; or a tribal identification card issued by the governing body of the Eastern Shoshone tribe of Wyoming, the Northern Arapaho tribe of Wyoming or other federally recognized Indian tribe. These documents would also need to list a Wyoming address to prove state residency. If a person seeking to register to vote doesn't have a valid driver's license, they must provide the last four digits of their Social Security number, along with one of the previously mentioned documents in the proposed rules. None of the documents will suffice if the applicant is not a U.S. citizen. Online comments on the proposed rules can continue to be submitted by email to the Secretary of State's chief policy officer and general counsel, Joe Rubino, at until June 20.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats face uphill battle with perception, finances; maintain hope
CHEYENNE — Wyoming Democrats are preparing to focus more on working-class issues and demonstrating their capacity to serve in the community following party officer elections in Rock Springs on Sunday. Wyoming Democrats suffered major losses during the 2024 election cycle, mimicking a nationwide shift toward the Republican Party. Democrats only hold eight seats in the 93-member Wyoming Legislature. With hopes to regain their footing, newly elected party vice chair Lindsey Hanlon of Cheyenne says they intend to lead by example and show the party's ability to meet people where they are. 'We're focusing a lot on being able to just help people,' Hanlon said. 'There is a lot of suffering going on right now in Wyoming. There's a lot of issues that are facing people immediately, and those are the kinds of issues that we want to start helping with.' Whether it be access to food or housing, Hanlon says the party wants to be associated with actively helping in the community and showing care for the community. This message of showing up to help neighbors and leading by example was echoed by several state Democrats at Sunday's meeting. '(Republicans) are focusing a lot on national issues and not really on the issues that are facing Wyomingites,' Hanlon said. 'And so we want to make sure that we are providing that assistance to the people of the state.' In order to meet people where they're at and rebuild the state's Democratic Party, Hanlon said they have to combat the 'fear that the Freedom Caucus has engendered in people.' 'The Freedom Caucus has done a lot of work to make these races much more vitriolic, to make these races much more intense and personal,' Hanlon said. '... The Freedom Caucus has done a lot to try and instill an atmosphere of fear around people trying to oppose their positions.' For Hanlon and others in the party, combating this fear means ensuring there's support for potential candidates. 'There (needs to be) an infrastructure that the candidates can pull from in terms of campaign managers and people to walk and people to knock on doors and all of those things,' Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Matthew Snyder said. 'I think that's really the thing that has been missing from where we are.' While the party aims to have a candidate in every race, it's too soon for new leadership to say what that will actually look like. For now, the best they can do is ensure candidates feel supported. Battling perception Though Democrats intend to put in the work to support their communities, regardless of whether they hold seats in those districts, they're not unaware of their perception in the state. Snyder noted that sometimes Democrats prioritize intellectualizing politics over meeting people where they are. He said many Wyomingites may not realize that most Democrats are their neighbors, facing the same economic hardships as Republicans. 'We, as a party, like to — for lack of a better term — show how smart we are,' Snyder said. 'I think we need to stop doing that. I think, fundamentally, we need to meet people where they are, and I don't think we do a great job of that.' Snyder added that he hopes the party can focus on fundamental class concerns, rather than party affiliation or blue vs. white collar jobs. Nationally, the Democratic Party has been struggling, being perceived as the party of the elite, rather than the party of the working man. Snyder noted that if the party is going to succeed they have to be open to criticism. 'The only way that you get better is to really assess yourself, determine what things you need to fix and move from there,' Snyder said. 'That's something I really wish we would do, and I think we're trying to do here in Laramie County. Let's be really honest about what we are perceived as, because if you don't do that, then you're going to lose every time.' While the party is largely optimistic about recruiting Democratic candidates for local races, former Laramie County Democratic Party Central Committee Chairman Jordan Evans noted that perception will pose a major barrier when looking for new candidates. 'They are going to struggle to find people who want to identify (with a party), especially the Democratic Party, just because it is the minority party where we live,' Evans said. 'The brand right now is sort of not within the control of the party itself.' When Evans was campaigning for a seat in the Legislature last year, he thought that a party identity would be a useful tool to give people a general idea of his platform. He later found that campaigning with the party instead defined his entire political identity, Evans told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'Nontraditional media and the sort of polarized state of things defines the brand of the Democratic Party for most non-Democrats before you get a chance to define it for yourself,' Evans said. Evans left his leadership role in the party to better focus on his family, his personal life and serving the causes he values more effectively, he told the WTE. Since leaving the party, he has been focusing on supporting the community through local organizations. He has also started a Substack, a self-publishing platform, where he published an opinion piece titled 'Partisan Politician or 'How I Ruined My Life.'' In the opinion piece, Evans describes what led him to leave the party; in particular, he addresses a newfound belief that has helped him get past the idea that leaving politics at this turbulent time is 'selfish at best and negligent at worst.' 'Disengaging from politics is not only responsible, it may be the key to fixing the politics itself,' Evans wrote. 'I'm learning effective change cannot be steered toward an ideal from the top down. It has to be a wholistic community effort.' Though Evans does not want to discourage those interested in party politics from participating, he does want community members to know that party politics isn't the only way to effect change in their communities. Evans added that this exacerbates the barriers the party will face trying to recruit and even fundraise. 'They'll find people with a strong interest in wanting to make their community better,' Evans said. 'But they'll find it's hard to get those people to then want to associate that interest with the party itself.' Financial barriers The Democratic Party's struggles don't stop at perception; they're also facing an upward battle financially. On Sunday, Wyoming Democratic Party State Central Committee Treasurer Dudley Case informed party leaders that the party has been operating at a loss and needs to do some serious fundraising to recover. As of May 1, the party had $36,580.20 in its federal and non-federal accounts, according to Case. The party has been spending more than it has been raising each month, resulting in a $21,795.32 loss this year, roughly a $5,000 loss per month, in the first four months of the year, according to Case. 'I think that this budget thing is maybe a wake-up call that the party has not been receiving the support that it should,' Hanlon said. 'And I have faith that the people around me are going to step up and are going to give us that support. I think that Wyoming is full of some of the most generous people I've ever met. When you ask for help, you do receive it in this state.' Though Hanlon is confident that fundraising will turn the party's finances around, there's no guarantee they'll receive the support they need. Based on current finances, Case estimated that the party will sustain a $24,478 loss by the end of this calendar year. 'We're about to hit the ground running with fundraising,' Hanlon said. 'I think that it shows really kind of how scrappy and committed that we are. Yeah, we're running out of a bare-bones budget right now, but we're still out there in the community. We're still out there in elections, and I think that just walking the walk is going to have people coming back and coming back with more support.' If the party can't fundraise enough to maintain its current spending, some major cuts will have to be made, though Hanlon said they have yet to have those conversations, mainly because new leadership is only a few days into their terms. 'I don't think it's any secret that the Democratic Party in Wyoming struggles to fundraise or struggles to be organized,' Evans said. 'It's just the nature of where we're at.' Evans added that, due to party perception, it is likely that people will be hesitant to donate to Democrats, even if they agree with Democrats in principle. Particularly, Evans suspects the party will struggle to garner donations from individuals with limited expendable income who have to be very conscious of where they put their money right now. 'I think they think there's much better use of their money than party politics,' Evans said. 'They'd be giving the Habitat for Humanity, for instance, if they care about housing or they care about housing prices within our community. … I think people see other organizations doing work that is aligned with their values, and they feel that those organizations are going to be more effective.' Though Hanlon was willing to discuss the budget with the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, a report from Cowboy State Daily indicated that other party members were not comfortable with the press having access to the budget sheet. Cowboy State Daily was present at the Sunday meeting, which prompted the committee to pass a motion formally requesting the outlet not to air its budget publicly to protect political strategies and out of courtesy to employees, whose salaries are included in the budget. Still hopeful Though there are clear criticisms of the party and major barriers to regaining influence in the state, many Democrats have hope that with diligent work they can get there, including Hanlon and Snyder. Though he found minimal success in his attempts, and claims to be no expert in the path forward, Evans said there is a way to get back on the ballot in a legitimate way. 'I think the way is to just show up,' Evans said. 'Show up at the union halls, which (Snyder) is doing, show up at the town halls, which (Hanlon) is doing. Show up, be a volunteer, and don't just do it to be seen. Do it because you care. I think it's a long, slow process, but eventually, those things will bear fruit.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Everyone should be alarmed': Older adults at high risk under Medicaid cuts, experts say
CHEYENNE — 'This is a critical time in the fight to protect health care access and affordability for everyone.' That's what Healthy Wyoming Interim Executive Director Jenn Lowe said during a webinar Thursday night, as she and other health care experts detailed the risk potential Medicaid cuts pose to hospitals, nursing homes and Wyomingites. 'Wyoming residents already face among the highest health care costs in the country,' Lowe said. 'By cutting Medicaid funding, Congress is forcing providers to increase their costs, driving up the price of health care for all.' The House Committee on Energy and Commerce passed a reconciliation bill last week, with a 30-24 vote, that proposes $715 billion in cuts to Medicaid. The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates at least 13.7 million people across the country will become uninsured by 2034 under the proposed changes, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. The webinar was hosted by Healthy Wyoming and Better Wyoming. A panel of health experts explained how Medicaid cuts would impact different areas of the state's health care industry. However, one panelist was missing. Casper resident Angela 'Angie' Dax was a longtime advocate for Medicaid expansion in the Equality State. She was one of thousands of Wyomingites living in the Medicaid gap, unable to afford treatment for her chronic health conditions, but didn't qualify for Medicaid coverage. The gap exists because the state did not expand its Medicaid program. Dax died May 3 while in hospice care, after years of battling pulmonary hypertension, a disease that affects the heart and lungs. 'A true Medicaid expansion champion, she will be greatly missed,' Lowe said. 'But I know she would want us to keep working for the health care access that so many like her desperately need.' Nearly 63,000 Wyomingites receive insurance through Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program). One in three children and one in 14 senior citizens in Wyoming fall within this population, according to Healthy Wyoming. Yet, children, vulnerable adults, people with disabilities and senior citizens stand to lose the most if major changes are made to the $900 billion federal health care program, experts said Thursday night. 'Everyone should be alarmed,' Lowe said. 'It is impossible to cut this much this fast without terminating care for millions who need it. Despite what our members of Congress are saying, these policy changes will impact Wyoming in a negative way.' Impact on older adults Over 70% of nursing homes in the state are covered by Medicaid, health experts said during Thursday's webinar. Wyoming Medicaid reimbursement rates cover 65-72% of the total cost of care, according to a December 2022 memo from the Wyoming Department of Health. Lisa Osvold, who worked in the state Department of Health's Aging Division before retiring, said two-thirds of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid. Facilities may be forced to close under the proposed Medicaid cuts, displacing dozens of older adults, she said. 'Not all older adults have family members who can become caregivers,' Osvold said. 'For those elder orphans, Medicaid-funded services aren't just supplemental, they're the entire support system.' Osvold listed three other, unique vulnerabilities in Wyoming that put older adults 'especially at risk when Medicaid funding is threatened.' First, the state's rural features create geographical barriers in access to care, she said. Older adults who can't drive rely on non-emergency medical transportation to get them to the nearest provider, which could be hours away. 'Since this service is not a mandatory service in Medicaid, my concern is that it could be reduced or eliminated totally with funding cuts,' Osvold said. 'And, as you can imagine, this would be very difficult for our older adults.' Second, Wyoming already faces a 'significant' shortage of physicians, she said. Multiple counties have zero physicians, and several others have five or fewer physicians that serve coverage areas of thousands of square miles. 'Our rural facilities operate on very thin margins as it is,' Osvold said. Even a small reduction in reimbursement 'can trigger cuts or closures.' Finally, Wyoming has one of the fastest-aging populations in the country. Currently, over 20% of the state's rural population is 65 and older. Osvold said this creates a growing demand for services. Around 90% of older adults have one or more chronic conditions, which requires ongoing care, she said. 'Many assume Medicare covers all senior needs, but it really doesn't,' Osvold said. 'It provides almost no coverage for long-term care or home-based services.' Keeping independence People with disabilities are disproportionately at risk of living at or below the federal poverty level, said Wyoming Independent Living Executive Director Amy Burns. WIL is a nonprofit with offices across the state that support people with disabilities. 'Many people with disabilities have complex medical needs while living on a fixed income,' Burns said. 'Medicaid is a crucial component of healthy living for these individuals.' Wyoming Medicaid funds home- and community-based services that serve more than 2,800 individuals who would otherwise qualify for nursing-home level care. It also funds skilled and clinical nursing assistants, home health, clinics and transportation. 'These programs provide in-home support that prevent unnecessary institutionalization in nursing homes or state hospitals,' Burns said. Medicaid waivers fund services and programs that allow these individuals to live at home and keep their sense of independence. Cuts to these services will increase the financial burden of people with disabilities who already live on a limited income and will force many to move into an institutional setting, she said. In addition, if Congress were to allow premium tax credits to expire this year, many folks — including those who work in the nonprofit sector — will face significantly higher insurance costs. Premium tax credits are a federal subsidy that make insurance more affordable on the federal health insurance marketplace. 'These are not particularly high-paying jobs. We do it because we love the work,' Burns said. 'If I were to lose my tax credit, my health care premiums for myself and two children would be 35% of my income.' Nearly 47,000 Wyomingites receive their health insurance through the federal marketplace. Out of this number, 95% of these individuals receive a premium tax credit, said Amy Spieker, who works with Laramie County Community Partnership and at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. If Congress chooses not to extend premium tax credits, 'the average premium for Wyoming health insurance marketplace users will increase 194% in 2026,' Spieker said. 'The expiration of these tax credits will impact Wyoming small business owners,' she said.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Equality State Policy Center files federal lawsuit over new voter registration law
LARAMIE – The Equality State Policy Center (ESPC) filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging Wyoming House Bill 156, a law passed earlier this year that imposes proof-of-citizenship and proof-of-residency requirements on Wyoming voters. The lawsuit argues that HB 156 violates both state and federal law, and threatens to deprive legitimate Wyoming voters of their right and freedom to vote. HB 156 makes several changes to the ways elections are carried out in Wyoming. It requires voters to be Wyoming residents for no less than 30 days before an election, requires proof of residency and U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and requires county clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the person is not a United States citizen. "Wyoming has a proud tradition of fair and secure elections, and there is no evidence of non-citizen voting or widespread fraud to justify the harsh new restrictions in HB 156," ESPC Executive Director Jenny DeSarro said in a news release announcing the lawsuit. "This unnecessary law creates significant barriers that will prevent eligible citizens from exercising their constitutional right to vote, particularly young voters, women who changed their names when they married, low-income voters and Hispanic voters. These hardworking Wyomingites must be allowed to exercise their rights and freedoms at the ballot box.' Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray and Republican state lawmakers aligned with the hardline Freedom Caucus pushed for the election measure, which Gov. Mark Gordon allowed to become law without his signature. Explaining why he refused to sign the bill, Gordon said that while he agrees with allowing only U.S. citizens and Wyoming residents to vote in the state, he had significant legal concerns: 'Because I believe in adequate checks to ensure only qualified electors can vote, I am allowing this bill to become law, despite the likelihood that it will invite litigation,' Gordon said in a March 21 statement. Gordon said at that time that whether federal or state statute would prevail in a legal contest is a question that would have to be resolved in court. The governor also took issue with the requirement for county clerks to deny registration if there is 'any indication' that the applicant is not an American citizen in their registration, calling this addition 'far-reaching.' Secretary of State Gray celebrated the passage of the bill into law, as it was one of his top priorities going into this year's legislative session. Gray responded to the filing of the lawsuit by issuing the following statement: 'This lawsuit shows how far the radical Left is willing to go to try to stop election integrity. The far-left's lawsuit is a meritless attempt to undermine the common-sense election integrity measures Wyomingites want. Proof of citizenship and proof of residency are common sense measures pivotal to election integrity, which is why House Bill 156 was the number one priority of our conservative election integrity agenda during the 2025 Legislative Session. I will be preparing to vigorously defend Wyoming's proof of citizenship and residency requirements. We will fight this lawsuit and the false claims in it. And we will win.' The lawsuit, filed Friday in United States District Court for the District of Wyoming, names Gray, as well as all 23 of Wyoming's county clerks, as defendants. The law will not become effective until July 1, and it will first apply to the 2026 primary election.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Potential $880B cut to Medicaid could have big impacts on Wyoming hospitals, nursing homes
CHEYENNE — Should Congress follow through with a proposed $880 billion cut to Medicaid, Wyoming hospitals and nursing homes stand to lose significant funding on top of an already fragile health care system, stakeholders told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle this week. Congress is having ongoing discussions about how to cut $880 billion in program spending. There is a current deadline of May 9 for congressional committees to make their budget recommendations, but this deadline is not set in stone, according to reporting by Politico. 'To get to that number, Medicaid would have to take a pretty big hit,' said Wyoming Hospital Association Vice President Josh Hannes. States with expanded Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act are going to feel the brunt of these cuts. Although Wyoming is one of a handful of states that didn't opt in to Medicaid expansion, the Cowboy State is far from being in the clear, according to sources. 'Wyoming didn't expand Medicaid, so that wouldn't touch us. But that also doesn't get them to $880 billion,' Hannes said. 'So, what else are they gonna do?' One potential area that has health care officials concerned is the looming expiration date of premium tax credits. These are a federal subsidy that makes insurance policies more affordable on the health insurance marketplace. Around 42,000 Wyomingites depend on these tax credits, Hannes said. 'If those go away … rates on the marketplace are going to jump dramatically,' he said. This is a 'significant concern' for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, said Cheyenne Regional Health System Chief Financial Officer Yvonne Wigington. First and foremost, hospital associates are worried about the impact the loss of these credits will have on patients, she said. People will either have to forgo their health insurance or choose a plan that doesn't fully meet their health care needs. More people will be at risk of losing their health coverage and delaying treatment, Wigington said. 'We really don't ever want patients to feel like they have to delay their care,' she said. On the financial side, CRMC would lose between $9 million and $18 million in annual revenue if the tax credits were to expire. 'We care for any patient, regardless of their ability to pay for their services,' Wigington said. 'If those individuals did not have health care insurance and did not have a way to pay for their health care, that would be $9-18 million that we don't get paid for.' Hospital officials are currently evaluating 'many different scenarios for potential cuts' at CRMC, Wigington said. However, it's difficult to pinpoint what the actual impact would be, with so many cuts being proposed at the federal level. 'We're not sure exactly which cuts may actually be implemented,' Wigington said. In addition, the hospital is facing stress from another major federal action — increased tariffs. Wigington said President Donald Trump's tariffs affect the hospital's vendor contracts, medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and the information technology area. However, with the percentage of these tariffs constantly changing, preparing for financial impacts has been a moving target. 'We're in the preliminary stages, but we definitely have seen price escalations,' Wigington said. 'Some of our vendors have notified us that they're not able to honor quotes that they've given us previously until they are better able to evaluate the impact of tariffs.' Wigington said tariffs have not impacted services or employment at CRMC so far. 'The (tariffs') percentages have changed a few different times,' Wigington said. 'We, like probably every other hospital, are really just trying to plan with what we know now and anticipate those things that are being proposed.' Uninsured rates in Wyoming The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) reported that 59,400 Wyomingites, or 10.5% of the state's population, were uninsured in 2023. By comparison, 8% of the entire U.S. population was uninsured that same year. 'We already have struggling hospitals and nursing homes, and Medicaid is a lifeline for a lot of those facilities,' Hannes said. 'Medicare and Medicaid together represent way over half of total revenue for our hospitals in the state.' A 2022 contribution analysis conducted by the Center for Business and Economic Analysis at the University of Wyoming found that Wyoming's hospitals and nursing homes directly contribute a combined $47.5 billion to the gross state product. The hospital and nursing home industry made up 3.5% of Wyoming's total economic contribution, as well as provided 19,370 jobs, according to the analysis. 'If you're not investing in our health care infrastructure, you're doing harm, and if you're going to pull away investment, that's even worse,' Hannes said. 'So it's certainly concerning, the discussions that are going on at the federal level.' Adding to the number of uninsured patients increases cost of care, Hannes said. When a patient is unable to pay for services, 'hospitals eat that.' 'Our industry is different from so many others, because we don't get to decide what we get paid, and we have to serve everyone who comes in through the door,' he said. About 7% of CRMC's total patient population is on Medicaid, Wigington said. The potential $880 billion cut in funding to Medicaid, equivalent to about an 11% spending reduction for the program, would expand the local hospital's funding gap by $1.8 million. 'The payments already that we receive for caring for our Medicaid patients don't cover our cost to care for those patients,' Wigington said. In the 2024 fiscal year, there was a $10 million shortfall in Medicaid payments, which the hospital tries to alleviate through other funding sources, she said. 'That is a lot of money,' Wiggington said. In January, U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., brought up Wyoming's challenges with rural health care to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services. Barrasso said six Wyoming hospitals are at risk of closing, two are in immediate risk of closing in the next two years, and 10 have had to cut available services, according to a news release from his office. 'We have 33 hospitals in Wyoming. Twenty-six are located in various locations often hard to get to, or weather impacts them,' Barrasso said. 'This is a concern of rural hospitals in both Republican and Democrat states. It's bipartisan. It is critical that the financial, workforce challenges that we are facing are addressed.' Nursing homes at risk Most states finance at least a portion of their Medicaid spending through taxes collected from health care providers, which generates additional federal matching payments to the states, according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis. States return the collected taxes to those providers in the form of higher Medicaid payments. Wyoming's had a hospital provider tax since 2017 and a nursing home provider tax since 2011, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C. These mechanisms help draw down federal dollars to the state, Hannes said, and nursing homes are a huge benefactor of these programs. There is currently a 6% provider tax cap. The CBO estimated a 5% cap on the provider tax 'would reduce the deficit by $41 billion from 2024 to 2032.' A 2.5% cap 'would reduce the deficit by $209 billion over that period.' Critics of restricting provider taxes argue this 'will create financing gaps for states that could result in higher state taxes, reductions in Medicaid eligibility, lower provider payment rates, and fewer covered benefits,' according to KFF. 'If they dial back these provider loopholes, that's a direct reimbursement reduction to the nursing homes,' said Wyoming HealthWorks CEO Tracy Brosius. 'They're almost entirely dependent on that.' Around 70-80% of patients in nursing homes are reliant on Medicaid, Brosius said. People are there because they have a high clinical need and no one to take care of them. She questioned where these people are supposed to go once nursing homes start shutting down. 'What happens if they cut the provider taxes and now the nursing homes start to fold?' Brosius said. 'What happens to the 80 people that are there?'
