The number of people in Wyoming who have purchased health insurance through the federal health insurance marketplace has nearly doubled since last year. More than 21,000 consumers signed up for plans in 2015 as part of the Affordable Care Act. Last year, nearly 12,000 people signed up for a plan.
There are people who are not eligible for the traditional Medicaid, and then not making enough to be able to shop on the market place and benefit from the subsidies.
Monica Jennings is a Marketplace Navigator with Enroll Wyoming. She says despite many Wyomingites enrolling, there are still many in the state without health coverage who would have benefited from Medicaid expansion.
"Well I think it’s correctly labeled as the Medicaid gap," says Jennings. "There are people who are not eligible for the traditional Medicaid, and then not making enough to be able to shop on the market place and benefit from the subsidies. So they’re in a jam in terms of getting adequate health coverage."
Jennings says Wyoming was second in the nation for increased enrollment this year, behind only Oklahoma.