Injunctions and amendments and arsonists, oh my!

Session recap: WTF is going on with abortion in Wyoming?

The Legislature ditched the "trigger ban" it passed in 2022 in favor of two new bans—all of which are or will be tied up in court. Abortion remains legal until a ruling comes down from the Wyoming Supreme Court about whether abortion is "healthcare" protected by the state constitution. Meanwhile, the governor and others increasingly believe the issue will be decided eventually at the ballot.
Grassroots advocates and legislative healthcare champs celebrate with Governor Gordon

The winding road to Wyoming’s biggest healthcare access win in a decade

A bill to extend Medicaid coverage for uninsured new Wyoming moms faced opposition from the so-called “Freedom Caucus,” legislative leaders, and the Wyoming State GOP. But a coalition of healthcare access advocates and pro-life lawmakers pushed “Medicaid for Moms” all the way to the governor’s desk.
Freedom Caucus members Jeanette Ward (Casper), Chip Neiman (Hulett), and Sarah Penn (Lander) are leading the effort to decrease health coverage for new Wyoming moms.

Will the Wyo. “Freedom Caucus” kill health coverage for new moms?

A bill to stop the rollback of Wyoming Medicaid coverage for uninsured new moms has broad support. Advocates for HB-4 say it will ensure the health and well-being of both mothers and their babies. But Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Neiman, who as House Majority Floor Leader can unilaterally kill any bill he wants, might not let it see the light of day.
A Casper woman encourages the government to respect her healthcare freedom.

Wyo. lawmakers propose first batch of post-Roe abortion laws

Two bills would follow last year’s “trigger ban” to further restrict reproductive rights, while a third would return Wyoming to its pre-2022 status quo.
Our intrepid leaders have brought us to an island in a sea of other states that have healthcare.

A brief history of failed “Wyoming solutions” to our state’s healthcare problems

For more than a decade, Wyoming lawmakers have insisted that, instead of expanding Medicaid, we should find a state-based approach to fixing our broken healthcare system. And for a decade, they have failed to come up with any such thing, just like every other state before them that eventually adopted the program.
Gov. Mark Gordon

Does Governor Gordon really care about mental health?

The governor convened a recent conference about Wyoming’s mental health crisis. But, at the same time, he says he opposes Medicaid expansion, which rural states across the U.S.—including every single one of our neighbors—have used to bring about actual solutions to their mental health challenges. If he really cares about Wyoming’s mental health crisis, why does he oppose a proven solution?

Post-“Roe” Wyo: The upcoming fight for abortion rights

Abortion remains temporarily legal in Wyoming as challenges to the Legislature’s 2022 “trigger ban” play out in court. If state judges ultimately decide that the ban is unconstitutional—a pretty likely outcome—the fight will move back to the Legislature and then, potentially, to a vote in 2024. The 2022 general election this fall will play a large role in shaping these events, and in any case pro-choice advocates will need to organize to win. Overturning Roe v. Wade did not end abortion rights in Wyoming. In fact, it was just the beginning.
Clockwise, from top left: Rep. Albert Sommers, Sen. Cale Case, Rep. Sandy Newsome, Rep. Steve Harshman, Sen. Stephan Pappas, Rep. Barry Crago, Sen. Wendy Schuler, and Rep. Landon Brown all support Medicaid expansion and won their 2022 GOP primaries.

GOP Medicaid expansion supporters defeat primary challengers

Many GOP lawmakers have wrung their hands and worried that doing what they know is right—supporting Medicaid expansion—would cost them at the polls. But overwhelmingly, GOP incumbents who backed Medicaid expansion won on Tuesday, dispelling those fears.
Women in Rawlins will have to drive 100 miles to deliver a baby in a hospital.

Wyoming lawmakers stand by as two more hospitals close their maternity wards

Wyomingites understand that we do not have the cutting-edge medical facilities that big cities offer. But that does not mean we should force small-town women to face stressful and even dangerous situations in order to safely give birth. Our state can have a hospital system that serves us all. But that means we need legislators who are willing to help support it.
While Wyoming legislators wring their hands and worry about reelection, 25,000 Wyoming residents lack any reasonable access to affordable healthcare.

Procedural hurdles and political calculations help trip up Wyoming Medicaid expansion

Rules governing the legislature’s “budget session” and lawmakers wary of right-wing primaries helped thwart efforts to pass Medicaid expansion this year. Meanwhile, grassroots advocates vow to mobilize around the 2022 elections.
Attendees of a Healthy Wyoming vigil in Cheyenne last fall.

Medicaid expansion has momentum as the Wyo Legislature’s 2022 session approaches

Advocates for healthcare access have built a grassroots movement to convince lawmakers to finally expand the state's program. But procedural hurdles during the "budget session" remain.

Ten FACTS about Wyoming's Medicaid coverage gap

1. Tens of thousands of people in Wyoming don’t have health…