Public Input Sought for Wyoming Long-Term Care Option

August 7, 2023

The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) invites public input on a proposal meant to save state and federal dollars while also preventing or delaying nursing home stays for certain older Wyoming residents.

The department is making what’s known as a Medicaid “waiver” application to the federal government. The word “waiver” refers to “waiving” certain provisions of the Social Security Act, which governs Medicaid programs across the country.

More information about the state’s proposal can be found at https://ltcexpansion.wyo.gov/.

Wyoming Medicaid aims to prevent or delay Medicaid-paid nursing home stays by “intercepting” people who may later qualify for Medicaid only by spending down assets after they are residing in an institutional setting. “We’d rather try to help some of these residents before they actually begin living in a long-term care facility,” said Franz Fuchs, senior policy analyst with WDH.

“A substantial segment of Wyoming Medicaid’s annual budget is dedicated to paying for nursing home care for many of our state’s residents and it is expensive care,” Fuchs said. “More importantly, staying within the home as long as possible is what most people want for themselves and for their family members.”

The waiver would expand a limited menu of Medicaid home- and community-based services to adults over 65 years who meet the following criteria:

• Have a monthly income that is less than 400 percent of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) standard (roughly $3,656 per month) instead of the current 300 percent limit (roughly $2,742 per month).
• Meet a lower threshold on Medicaid’s level-of-care assessment than the current standard.
• Have countable non-house assets less than $10,000. The current limit is $2,000.

WDH invites public comment during two planned meetings:

August 24, from noon to 3 p.m., in Cheyenne at the Laramie County Library – Willow Room.

August 25, from noon to 3 p.m. in Casper at the Thyra Thomson State Office Building – Turntable Room (3017).

Feedback and public comment can also made by using the Google form found at https://ltcexpansion.wyo.gov/.