Barrasso: ‘Medicaid reforms ... unlikely to negatively impact’ Wyoming
CHEYENNE — Wyoming’s congressional delegation is focused on keeping the Medicaid program free of fraud, waste and abuse, but none offered a direct answer as to whether they support the proposed $880 billion cut in program spending.
The Wyoming Tribune Eagle asked Wyoming Republican U.S. Sens. John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman for their stance on Medicaid cuts that are currently being considered in Congress.
Last week, health care officials warned of the detrimental impacts an $880 billion cut to Medicaid would have on Wyoming hospitals, nursing homes and residents.
According to experts interviewed by the WTE, several nursing homes would likely shut down, hospitals would potentially face cuts to services and staff layoffs, and tens of thousands of Wyomingites would be at risk of losing their health insurance or becoming uninsured.
In January, Barrasso brought up Wyoming’s rural health care challenges to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is now U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Barrasso said six Wyoming hospitals are at risk of closing, two could close in the next two years, and 10 have had to cut available services.
“We have 33 hospitals in Wyoming. Twenty-six are located in various locations often hard to get to, or weather impacts them,” Barrasso said. “This is a concern of rural hospitals in both Republican and Democrat states. It’s bipartisan. It is critical that the financial, workforce challenges that we are facing are addressed.”
However, neither he nor Lummis gave the WTE a clear answer as to whether they support a major cut to the federal health care program. Barrasso recently said there are no definite conclusions on what will be cut from Medicaid, according to an article published by the American Health Association this week.
The Senate majority whip told the WTE in an emailed statement “the currently proposed Medicaid reforms are unlikely to negatively impact our state,” since Wyoming is a “good steward of taxpayer dollars.”
“Wyoming’s policies are already aligned with a majority of the Trump administration’s proposal,” Barrasso said in the statement. “This includes work requirements for all able-bodied adults enrolled in Medicaid.”
He said Congress needs to ensure the accessibility and reliability of high-quality care for Medicaid recipients. “That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to eliminate fraud in Medicaid services while saving American taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Barrasso introduced the Safeguarding Medicaid Act, with Lummis and a few other Republican U.S. senators signed on as co-sponsors. The bill aims to address fraud and abuse in Medicaid by “requiring the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop an asset verification program for all applicants and recipients in all states and territories,” according to a news release from his office.
Lummis said in an emailed statement to the WTE that Republican congressional lawmakers want to strengthen the Medicaid program by adding measures that ensure transparency and accountability.
“I believe we should protect this program while ensuring its long-term sustainability through responsible financial management,” Lummis said. “My priority is establishing regular independent audits to root out waste and fraud, guaranteeing taxpayer dollars are used responsibly and that Medicaid fulfills its core mission of delivering health care to our most vulnerable citizens.”
Barrasso also mentioned Republican lawmakers’ proposal to repeal a Biden administration rule that required a minimum staffing level at all nursing homes across the country. This rule would have “cost nursing homes approximately $6.8 billion per year,” according to a 2023 analysis conducted by a professional services firm (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP).
A federal judge in Texas struck down the controversial Biden administration mandate in April, CNN reported.
“There are not enough registered nurses in Wyoming, or in the country, to be able to comply with this one-size-fits-all rule,” Barrasso said in his statement. “Repealing this rule will help keep the doors open for nursing homes across Wyoming to care for seniors.”
Hageman’s office did not respond to the WTE’s multiple requests for comment by press time.
This story was published on May 8, 2025.