You can also call Wyoming’s Members of Congress' Washington, D.C. offices instead of emailing them.
Rep. Hageman:
(202) 225-2311
Sen. Barrasso:
(202) 224-6441
Sen. Lummis:
(202) 224-3424
OVERVIEW
Tens of thousands of Wyomingites get health insurance through the Federal Healthcare Marketplace (healthcare.gov). Since 2010, Marketplace insurance has been affordable for Wyoming residents because it is subsidized by federal “tax credits.”
In 2021, Congress approved “enhanced premium tax credits” that improved subsidies and lowered people’s monthly premiums. The number of Wyomingites who gained healthcare coverage through the Marketplace doubled.
Now, Congress is refusing to renew the “enhanced premium tax credits,” which expire at the end of this year.
That means that Wyoming residents who get health insurance through the Marketplace—often small business workers, independent contractors, or people who have multiple part-time jobs—are going to see their monthly insurance costs increase.
Congress’ refusal thus far to extend the “enhanced premium tax credits” and keep insurance affordable for Americans is a huge reason the government shut down earlier this year.
THE UPCOMING VOTE
The U.S. Senate—and potentially the House—is going to hold a vote before Dec. 15 on whether to extend the tax credits.
We need to let our Members of Congress know that we want them to support extending the “enhanced premium tax credits” and keep healthcare affordable for Wyoming.
STRATEGY: NUMBERS MATTER
When it comes to contacting Wyoming’s Members of Congress, numbers matter—arguments really don’t.
Neither Sens. Barrasso nor Lummis nor Rep. Hageman will personally read your email or listen to your call. Instead, their interns will tally up the number of messages they receive in support of extending the Healthcare Marketplace tax credits and report those back to their bosses.
Do not spend 20 minutes crafting your email. Instead, spend 5 minutes writing it and 15 minutes sending this link to other people in Wyoming asking them to speak up.
betterwyo.org/congress-tax-credits
A NATIONAL EFFORT
We are not alone in Wyoming. Across the nation, and especially in rural states, residents are contacting their Members of Congress to ask them to extend the Marketplace “enhanced premium tax credits.”
Your voice is part of a nationwide chorus speaking up to all of Congress.
Even if you feel like our Wyoming Senators and Representative will ignore you personally, they and other rural lawmakers will not be able to ignore the huge numbers of voices speaking up together from across rural America against these harmful proposals.
YOUR MESSAGE
Keep it simple. Your message should contain three short parts.
- Who you are: My name is ______. I’m a Wyoming voter and I live in _______.
- What you want: I am writing/calling all my Members of Congress today to ask that you vote to extend the “enhanced premium tax credits” for the Federal Healthcare Marketplace.
- Why you want it: Include a few (brief!) lines about why you think extending the Marketplace tax credits is important.
TALKING POINTS
“Enhanced Premium Tax Credits” make health insurance affordable for tens of thousands of Wyomingites
In 2020, before “enhanced premium tax credits” there were 24,574 people enrolled in Marketplace health insurance. Now, with the enhanced tax credits, there are 46,643 enrolled. That’s nearly double. (source)
Wyoming is looking at the highest Marketplace insurance rate cost increases in the country if the tax credits expire
Residents looking to re-enroll in the Marketplace for 2026 are seeing their monthly prices more than double. A 60-year-old with $63k in income will see a 400+ percent increase. This will simply mean for many people that they will go without insurance. (source)
Wyoming already has the second-highest healthcare costs in America
Healthcare in Wyoming is incredibly expensive even with the help of tax credits. Our political leaders have done essentially nothing to decrease the cost of healthcare. And with the Marketplace tax credits expiring, it will get worse. (source)
Letting the tax credits expire will increase the cost of healthcare for everyone
Even people who have health insurance through their job will be impacted by the increased cost of healthcare. That’s because the Marketplace tax credits are basically subsidies for the insurance industry. When those subsidies go away, the companies will make up for the loss by increasing prices for everyone else. (source)
SHARE THIS LINK
No matter how passionate or reasonable your individual argument, that’s not what is going to make an impact.
Only sheer numbers have the ability to shake members of Congress’ confidence that they can get away with these harmful cuts.
Send this link to 10 (or 100!) other people in Wyoming and ask them to speak up against Medicaid cuts along with you.
betterwyo.org/congress-tax-credits