As most of us have heard, a health care CEO was recently murdered in New York City. It goes without saying that no one should ever condone this kind of violence. However, it has unleashed anger across the nation about a health care system that serves the financial interests of stockholders and executives at the expense of the health and lives of people across the country.
Opinion
I am not one of the millions covered by UnitedHealthcare, or any other form of insurance for that matter, because I am one of the 19,000 Wyomingites who fall into the coverage gap.
I’m stuck without health insurance after a series of life events including leaving my job to care for my sick mother and then my husband. After my husband passed away, I tried looking for a job but have not had any luck. I live off the small amount of life insurance that my husband left behind. I am denied Medicaid for the simple fact that I don’t have small children in my home.
It’s scary. I pray to God each day that I can stay healthy. A broken arm falling on ice or, even worse, some sort of significant illness could lead to a lifetime of debt. Our health care system just isn’t working for most of us, and I can relate to the frustrations others have expressed when it comes to navigating the health care landscape in America.
Unfortunately, Wyoming stacks additional challenges on top of those already endemic to the broken American system. We rank at the lower end when it comes to many health care indicators, including lack of maternity services, expensive insurance costs, and dwindling access to doctors and nurses in rural communities. We are also one of only ten states that have not closed the coverage gap by expanding Medicaid.
In Wyoming, a family of three making $11,619 makes “too much” to qualify for Medicaid, according to a report recently published by Community Catalyst. Most people can’t imagine living off this little. This makes it nearly impossible for many to get health coverage, including 1,038 direct-care workers who provide things like home health care and nursing services.
We should also keep in mind that Wyoming is aging fast; according to a report published by the state’s Economic Analysis Division, between 2022 and 2023, the state’s elderly population grew by 3.5%, while the state’s total population only rose 0.4%. Many of us will have to make hard choices about how to care for those we love.
Universal access to affordable health care is critical to the long-term health of our families, friends and neighbors.
As the only state in the West that has not closed the gap, Wyoming has missed out on $1 billion in federal resources and more than a decade of opportunity that could have saved lives and improved health for so many.
I realize there is no miracle cure for all that ails health care in America. I do know that Medicaid works, and expanding access to Medicaid would help me and many others in this beautiful state.
I encourage the incoming Legislature to listen to the people’s anger at the current health care system and do something about it. Pass Medicaid expansion, close the coverage gap and help Wyoming become a healthier place to live.
Totally agree with your assessment of Wyoming’s Healthcare Health Care. I lived and worked in Wyoming from 2000-2020 where I worked for a hospital company and started my own physician recruitment company. I worked diligently to recruit physicians to Wyoming and to improve the level of healthcare in the state. The hurdles were often insurmountable. Losing my husband to the healthcare of Wyoming is a long story in itself. I commend your efforts.
With the fascist right in charge of the Wyoming Legislature, I hold little hope for anything positive coming out of this legislative session. It will be a session marked by extremist vitriol and dog whistles all coming from the GOP.
Bravo wyoming is behind the the times with almost EVERYTHING…… come on Wyoming get with it stop looking like a little old lady from the 1940s
Right on with your comments. It is sinful that the legislature that is so interested in getting involved in health care decisions can’t take federal money to help the working poor or the elderly poor. Lorraine Saulino-Klein, RN
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Imagine for one moment what an absolute nightmare it would be if your neighborhood grocery store ( or Amazon.com) were run as inefficiently (and expensively) as your local hospital. Why do we continue to equate acquiring descent health insurance as being a prerequisite for insuring access to good health care? When did being in possession of a 2X3 piece of cardstock become as necessary for maintaining our wellness as fresh oxygen and clean water? Is the administration of a rural health care system really any more complex than say running a school district or operating an electric utility? Does the compensation package of the “interim” CEO of Weston County Health Services accurately reflect the contributions that she actually makes to our community? Is it absolutely necessary that she command an annual salary which exceeds that of our county clerk, our county treasurer, our county sheriff, and our county attorney COMBINED!!! What we refer to as health care in Wyoming is on artificial life support and we have a tough choice to make. Do we really want to take the time and effort needed to excise every abscess and tumor causing this malaise with a sharp scalpel, or is it more humane at this point to just pull the plug???
Thanks for your clear, succinct and informed article. What seems like a no-brainer to so many of us has remained frustratingly difficult for our legislators. Could we please just get it done?! Pass Medicaid expansion.
I could not agree more with this authors opinion. Wyoming needs to expand Medicaid. The money is there and we need to use it. Health care is vital to a healthy population. A healthy population are better workers, thus helping our economy. A healthy population are less likely to use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.
Nancy, although my family doesn’t have to experience what you are going through, I sympathize with what you are saying. It’s so easy to succumb to poverty over lack of affordable health care in our “great” United States, and even easier in Wyoming.
Our country badly needs universal health care. Lose your job, you lose any hope for affordable health care, and you go further down the rat hole. It shouldn’t be that way. We reward the “well to do” and the corporate interests – instead of the most impoverished in our society. Simply treating health care as a human right and providing universal, government supported (OMG, “socialism”!), health care for everyone would solve a lot of the problems leading to poverty. Is it because our lawmakers are scared to tackle the problem because of the power of the insurance industry, or are they so distant from experiencing what you have experienced, that they simply don’t care?
I hope you can withstand this overwhelming burden, but your issue is so common in our state and nation, that I see little hope. In the meantime, more of us need to vote our conscience and consider the plight of the underserved in our society.