Some Republican leaders, however, like former House Speaker Steve Harshman (R-Casper) have had a change of heart, leading expansion advocates to think this yearвЂ™s outcome might be different.

Voluntary Medicaid expansion by the states is a facet of the Affordable Care Act (better known as Obamacare) and has been largely unpopular with Wyoming lawmakers since the ACAвЂ™s 2010 passage. According to DOH estimates, House Bill 162 вЂ“ Medical treatment opportunity act, would have helped enroll anywhere between 13,000 and 38,000 people, lowered health insurance rates for private providers and helped to alleviate the more than $100 million in uncompensated care costs private hospitals eat on an annual basis. Wyoming Department of Health numbers support those assertions. The 3-2 vote, which came after more than three hours of public testimony and debate, likely ends this yearвЂ™s effort to close WyomingвЂ™s вЂњMedicaid gap.вЂќД®xpansion advocates argued that expansion would provided medical coverage for 24,000 uninsured Wyomingites, extended financial support to the stateвЂ™s ailing hospital system and brought hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue to WyomingвЂ™s cash-strapped state government.

CHEYENNE вЂ“ The Wyoming Senate Committee on Labor, Health and Social Services voted Wednesday to kill a House-sponsored effort at Medicaid expansion.

What was the goal of medicaid