A budget amendment that would
have added up to 4 years of Medicaid to Wyoming failed the House 15-41-4.
Cheyenne, WY – A
budget amendment that would have added up to 4 years of Medicaid for Wyoming
citizens failed the House in a 15-41-4(excused) vote today.
“I am glad that those who wanted the opportunity to debate and
vote on Medicaid expansion were given that opportunity today,” said Speaker of
the House Kermit Brown. “There was a good long debate, everyone who wanted to
speak was given the opportunity, and there were many different opinions and
points of view given.”
House Bill 1, 3rd reading amendment 31 was
brought forth by Representative Dan Zwonitzer.
“There were strong opinions on both sides of the debate in
the House and I wanted to give them the time to have their voices heard on this
issue,” he said. “I believe the
amendment would have improved the lives of the citizens of Wyoming and helped
local businesses until a long term solution could be found for the ongoing
health care crisis.”
Representative Wilson, who had sponsored a bill to bring
Medicaid to Wyoming, spoke forcefully in support of the bill. “We can continue
to study this in the interim and find a better way of providing health coverage
in Wyoming, but right now doing nothing is not an option,” she stressed.
“We’ve been talking about this issue in the Labor committee
for several years, and the Senate had a lengthy floor discussion two weeks
ago,” said Representative Wilson. “I thought it was important to have the
conversation on the House floor.”
Other Medicaid bills have failed in the Wyoming Legislature
this session. SF 129 failed the Senate with an 11-19 vote and a house bill
brought forth by Representative Wilson that would have introduced a Medicaid
bill into the House was withdrawn from further consideration from the House
Labor, Health, & Social Services committee following the Senate vote on SF
129.
