Mark Gordon on Health Care

	Mark Gordon on Health Care

Strong "no" on Medicaid expansion; led charge in legislature

[Among the three contenders for the Republican gubernatorial nomination], all three were a strong "no" on Medicaid expansion, saying the invisible federal strings attached to the funding could carry too high a price. The governor led the charge against the expansion issue that has come up at every session of the Wyoming Legislature in recent years.

Wyoming is one of 12 states that have resisted expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The federal government provides states a federal matching rate for the cost of expanding Medicaid coverage to cover the cost of adults with incomes up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level of $17,744. The fear of accepting the match is that Washington will yank it away some day, or reduce the amount of the match, straining the budgets of states like Wyoming.

Rammell said the last thing people in Wyoming should do "is get more addicted to federal money." Washington is bound to go bankrupt under the strain of its $30 trillion of debt, he said.

Source: KTGA 99 Bigfoot on 2022 Wyoming Gubernatorial race , Aug 1, 2022

COVID-19 public health orders were balanced

[Among the three contenders for the Republican gubernatorial nomination], one topic that allowed separation between the candidates was Governor Gordon's handling of COVID-19 breakout. Rammell said Gordon overreached his authority in 2020.

Governor Mark Gordon defended the public health orders he enacted, saying he withstood pressure to take even more drastic actions.

Some of the attacks came from inside Wyoming. Governor Gordon responded angrily at early news conferences to calls from his political left that he should issue a statewide "stay at home order." Critics on his right questioned the science and the legality of the orders. Gordon famously called the resistors "knuckleheads." Rammell said that Gordon went too far.

Source: KTGA 99 Bigfoot on 2022 Wyoming Gubernatorial race , Aug 1, 2022

Kept state "open for business" during pandemic

We have all kept our states "open for business" and delivered food and other goods Americans need during this pandemic. Like other states, we did have to close pieces of our economies temporarily. To meet this challenge, our states moved quickly to cut red tape and allow private employers to pivot to new business models.

As we move into the next phase of managing the pandemic and consider President Trump's guidelines for "Opening Up America Again," we are applying our propensity for planning to reopen the segments of our economies that temporarily closed. Each of us has identified triggers for when regions of our states and sectors of our economies should reopen, based on metrics tailored to our unique circumstances. We are sharing expertise and best practices on how to safely reopen restaurants, churches, gyms and other businesses while continuing to slow the spread of infection.

Source: WaPo OpEd by 5 governors for 2022 Wyoming gubernatorial race , May 5, 2020

Improve mental health care; launch in-state suicide hotline

We need to improve mental health care through innovative approaches and coordinating agency policies for a more seamless delivery of services. One area of focus is on the prevention of suicide. This issue struck close to home when I heard from classmates of my own kids who have struggled with these dark thoughts. Too many of our residents are suffering -- and sadly, far too many are acting on it. I have supported funding to launch an in-state suicide hotline. Source: 2020 State of the State Address to 65th Wyoming legislature , Feb 10, 2020

Signed legislation extending Wyoming's health insurance pool

WY HB0007: AN ACT relating to insurance; extending the sunset date for the Wyoming health insurance pool; clarifying the types of health insurance to which the pool applies; amending pool eligibility; removing maximum benefit limitations; amending the entities who provide coverage and benefit related recommendations.

Program summary frm Wyoming Department of Insurance: The Wyoming Health Insurance Pool (WHIP) was created by the 1990 Wyoming Legislature to provide health insurance coverage to residents of Wyoming who are denied adequate health insurance. However, due to the ACA, individuals can no longer be denied traditional health insurance due to their existing medical conditions, thus essentially eliminating the need for the Non-Disabled WHIP plan. [The WHIP pools are an alternative to ObamaCare - Ed.]

: Legislative Outcome: Passed Senate 28-1-1 on 2/7/2019; Passed House 57-0-3 on 1/24/2019; Signed by Gov. Gordon; assigned Chapter Number 16 on 02/14/2019.

Source: BillTrack50 on Wyoming legislative voting records: WY HB0007 , Feb 14, 2019

Craft a state-led course on healthcare

I will support our hometowns as they chart their own courses into the future. Likewise, I will always stand up for Wyoming charting our own course. This is certainly the case with healthcare.

We have been given an opportunity to craft a Wyoming solut

Source: 2019 State of the State address to Wyoming legislature , Jan 9, 2019

Competition and personal responsibility, not single-payer

When I started a ranch in Buffalo, we could attract talented people because we could offer health insurance at a reasonable rate. At that time, in the late `80s, maternity coverage was affordable and it covered most of the cost of having a baby. That same coverage today is vastly more expensive and doesn't even really cover the price of a standard delivery. What we offered as a perk has become a financial drain.

To keep small businesses in Wyoming on Main Street and make sure others open we have to address the rising cost of health care. This can be done by allowing individuals to deduct the cost of health insurance from their federal income taxes. Larger corporations already do this and small business owners must be able to benefit as well. We should allow businesses and individuals to pool across state lines to lower overall costs.

The solution does not lie in a single payer system or nationalized health care. Competition and personal responsibility must be part of the solution.

Source: 2008 Wyoming House campaign website gordon08.com , Nov 1, 2008

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