Due to declining revenues the Wyoming Department of Health has been told to cut $90 million from its budget, that’s a nine percent reduction, the largest cut faced by any state agency. It will impact the two year budget that begins July first.
Director Tom Forslund said the loss of state funds also means the Department will lose an additional $43 million in federal matching money. Had the legislature voted to expand Medicaid it would have softened the blow, especially since the Department could shift some money from its budget to pay upfront costs.
Forslund told the legislature’s Joint Appropriations Committee that is no longer the case.
“That ship has sailed. As soon as I cut $75 million out of these programs, that money that I could move over is gone. So I don’t have that ability any longer after this money is stripped out.”
Governor Mead told the committee that the health department cuts will lead to loss of roughly 670 private sector jobs.
