Wyoming lawmakers again vote to reject Medicaid expansion

CHEYENNE, WYO. | By MEAD GRUVER (AP) — Wyoming lawmakers have again voted against expanding the federal Medicaid health insurance program to cover more people in the state.

The all-Republican Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted 3-2 Wednesday to kill a Medicaid expansion bill that had passed the House.

Wyoming has repeatedly voted against expanding Medicaid and is among a dozen states that haven’t done so under the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

A new federal incentive raised supporters’ hopes that Wyoming would change course after a decade of rejecting Medicaid expansion. Concerns remained among committee members about Medicaid’s long-term costs to the state and the growing U.S. national debt.