 - U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., was able to address several constituent concerns about recent changes to the federal Medicaid program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act during a town hall meeting last month in Dubois.){kind=link}
(Dubois, WY) – U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., was able to address several constituent concerns about recent changes to the federal Medicaid program in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act during a town hall meeting last month in Dubois.
Those changes will have minimal impact in Wyoming, Hageman said – particularly the new Medicaid work requirements that were included in the OBBBA.
The new work requirements “only apply (to) able-bodied adults with no dependent children,” Hageman explained – but Wyoming never expanded Medicaid to cover that category under the Affordable Care Act.
“We are one of 10 states that never expanded Medicaid,” Hageman said. “As a result, the recipients of Medicaid in the State of Wyoming don’t have work requirements as a result of the (OBBBA). The work requirements only apply in the 40 states that expanded Medicaid to include able-bodied adults with no dependent children.”
Wyoming Rep. Lloyd Larsen, R-Lander, thanked Hageman for “clarifying that point on the work component,” which he said “is oftentimes confused.”
“I just wanted to add a little context – because you’re right,” he said during last month’s town hall. “We’re the least-impacted state on Medicaid, of all the states, because of how we’ve operated. (So) we’re not going to see much change in Medicaid in Wyoming.”
Instead, Larsen and Hageman both said Wyoming should see an influx of federal funding from the OBBBA’s Rural Health Transformation Program, which “empowers states to strengthen rural communities across America by improving healthcare access, quality, and outcomes by transforming the healthcare delivery ecosystem,” according to the program website.
“RHT Program funding is $50 billion to be allocated to approved states over five fiscal years, with $10 billion of funding available each fiscal year, beginning in fiscal year 2026 and ending in fiscal year 2030,” the program website states.
Half of the funding will be “distributed equally amongst all approved states,” the program website says, while the rest will be allocated “based on a variety of factors including rural population, the proportion of rural facilities in the state, the situation of certain hospitals in the state, and other factors to be specified.”
“Being able to get a portion of that $50 billion for rural health care … will hopefully really help our medical situation right here in Wyoming,” Hageman said last month. “In a rural state like Wyoming, I think that this is really going to be huge.”
Larsen agreed that the program should be “wonderful” for Wyoming.
“This infusion (of) money is going to be very helpful for the state,” he said.
UMTRA, Pilot Butte
One of the local residents who spoke during Hageman’s town hall meeting last month – Northern Arapaho Tribal Member Avilia (Rae) Friday – also recently attended a state legislative committee meeting to offer comments about the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action site south of Riverton.
Friday asked Hageman about the UMTRA site last month, too – but first, Friday posed a question about the proposed Pilot Butte Conveyance Act that sparked local protests last year after Tribal officials said the legislation was introduced without their input.
“Our council at that time said they never even talked with you about Pilot Butte,” Friday said. “And so today I’m just coming up to clarify if that was true – (if) you had spoken with our leaders in the Northern Arapaho and the Eastern Shoshone.”
Hageman, who sponsored the House version of the Pilot Butte Conveyance Act, said she has “had an opportunity to speak with (Tribal officials) on a couple of different occasions” – but she also explained that the “Midvale Irrigation District came to us and requested that the power plant be conveyed to (them) so that it wasn’t mothballed, and in order to be able to do that, there was a bill that was introduced in order to carry that forward.”
“I understand from speaking with the leadership in Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho – and yes, I have had an opportunity to talk to them since then – that that is a great concern to them,” Hageman said, adding, “I think one of the things that’s very important is for Midvale and the tribes to be working together to talk about how they want to address that particular piece of infrastructure.”
Hageman also offered to follow up with Friday about the local UMTRA site, mentioning opportunities for support under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act that was reauthorized as part of the OBBBA.
“Get a hold of my office and let’s see if, with this new reauthorization and the expansion of the program, there are services or particular types of medical care that are available,” Hageman said.
Her reference to medical care prompted Friday to note that local “Indian clinics (are) getting really cut back.”
“I will readily admit I do not believe that (the Bureau of Indian Affairs) and (Health and Human Services) have done a good job in terms of Indian Health Services,” Hageman replied. “I know that you guys are doing a phenomenal job of trying to provide better health care to your members, (and) I have been trying to work with the tribe and the leadership to address the Indian Health Service issues.”
Other topics local residents asked about last month included forest management, Veterans Affairs benefits, Social Security, federal funding for public broadcasting, public lands, tariffs, immigration, online trading platform fraud, and wildlife crossings.
Hageman also spoke with the audience about rescission, appropriations, Payment In Lieu of Taxes, grizzly bear delisting, and federal funding for local projects, among other issues.
To learn more about Hageman’s work in Congress, visit her website or check out her weekly newsletter.
Click here to contact Hageman’s office.