Wyoming agencies would study health insurance options with $250,000

The Department of Health, Department of Insurance, and Department of Administration and Information would jointly study Wyoming's health insurance options. The study would examine state employee plan access for other residents, reinsurance to steady individual and small-group premiums, and approaches from other states with small populations. Reinsurance helps insurers cover claims. The study would test whether other residents could join the state employee plan while paying full insurance and administrative costs without adding costs, risks, or liabilities for state employees, officials, or taxpayers. The study would not authorize programs, require participation, create taxpayer-funded insurance subsidies, or expand Medicaid or other public assistance. Any program would need further legislative approval. The requirement would take effect immediately if the bill became law. Agencies would report to the joint labor, health, and social services interim committee by October 15, 2026.

The state would set aside $250,000 from its general fund for the Department of Administration and Information to conduct the study with the other two agencies. The money would fund the study, not residents' insurance coverage or premiums. Money could pay only for financial analysis, legal and regulatory review, comparisons with other states with small populations, and administration directly tied to the study. Money could not be transferred or spent for another purpose. Unspent money not committed to expenses would return as required by law. Lawmakers state that this funding should not enter the department's standard budget for the next two-year budget period. The funding period would begin when the bill became law and end June 30, 2028.