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Kid Care CHIP Officially Under Wyoming Department Of Health

Wyoming Department of Health

October marks the first month the Wyoming Children's Health Insurance Program is run by the state’s Department of Health. 

Also known as Kid Care CHIP, the program provides health insurance benefits for low-income children. It was previously operated by a private insurance company.

Now anyone who wants to apply for the program can do so by applying for Medicaid.

Wyoming Department of Health's Kim Deti said existing clients should have received new program cards, and they don't have to do anything to continue the coverage. Existing clients shouldn't see many changes except for some lower copays and more covered services.

"We believe that there are probably families out there that would qualify that haven't made that step. So we would encourage them to apply," said Deti.

She said transferring the program to the department saved the state close to $3 million.

"The department has had to take some really significant budget reductions recently, and we counted this savings as a reduction in general funds spending," Deti said. "So we're gonna save a little money, and so we're counting for that in our budget reductions."

Deti said the program was moved in-house to prevent further reductions that affect Wyoming families.

Have a question about this story? Contact the reporter, Kamila Kudelska, at kkudelsk@uwyo.edu.

Kamila has worked for public radio stations in California, New York, France and Poland. Originally from New York City, she loves exploring new places. Kamila received her master in journalism from Columbia University. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring the surrounding areas with her two pups and husband.
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