CHEYENNE — Healthy Wyoming brought its Cost of Care Summer Roadshow to Laramie County Community College last week in an effort to educate community members on healthcare in Wyoming and encourage them to share their stories with lawmakers.
Jenn Lowe, the executive director of Healthy Wyoming, shared on July 14 why the organization thought the roadshow was the best way to meet with community members and share their message. She emphasized how important these small-group meetings can be to increase overall understanding of the issues.
“The roadshow is really an opportunity for us to start in Rock Springs, go to Star Valley, go to Jackson, go to Lander, go to Casper, go to Cheyenne, and really meet people where they’re at.”
Healthy Wyoming is a nonprofit whose mission is to advocate for improved healthcare access and affordability across Wyoming. Though it is not their primary policy goal currently, in their issue message, they stress how beneficial it would be for Wyoming if it passed Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Wyoming currently ranks 49th in affordability and medical care accessibility, and is one of 10 states that has not passed Medicaid expansion, which advocates say would close the coverage gap that exists. Around 19,000 people are adrift in this coverage gap, where they do not qualify for Medicaid, but do not have enough money to pay for out-of-pocket insurance costs.
Lowe began by speaking on just how expensive healthcare is in Wyoming, ranking within the top five for the price of health insurance premiums in the country. This leads to people who do not have healthcare provided by their employer paying more out of pocket, or going without healthcare entirely.
This trickle-down effect culminates in people delaying care until it is absolutely necessary, which, as Lowe explained, has an effect on everyone as it “leads to poorer health outcomes and more expensive tax bills for all of us.”
Lowe emphasized just how advantageous expanding coverage could be not only for the people of Wyoming, but the state as a whole.
“Closing the coverage gap would allow low-income Wyomingites to gain access to healthcare insurance,” she said.
“And what we have seen in states that have expanded Medicaid and closed that gap is not only improved health outcomes, but also improved economic outcomes.”
Lowe stressed how the roadshow can also serve as a space for people to speak on their respective experiences and not feel like they are alone in that experience.
Lowe first shared a story of her own that is all too common for many Wyoming residents. Having to travel for care, in Lowe’s case, meant watching her next door neighbor, who had MS, be forced to travel to receive simple quality-of-life care.
Why was she forced to travel?
“Her insurance company was not willing to pay the Jackson hospital prices for her treatment,” Lowe said. “So, once a month, we would drive to Salt Lake City, we would make a day of it, and six months out of the year, it was fine.”
Other trips were more stressful. “She had an appointment that she couldn’t miss where it was hard weather-wise to get from Star Valley to Salt Lake City, putting her in danger.”
Jason Mincer spoke to the issue of cost, saying, “I’m paying $1,400 a month just to have health insurance right now. And that’s not how things should work in a First World country.”
Lowe ended with sharing just how meaningful it was to have people sharing their stories.
“I think the real true reward to me is just watching people feel more comfortable in their own skin and with their own story,” she said.