Thread by @NBCNews

An uninsured patient visited Dr. McCue’s practice in Cody, Wyoming, and explained that she can’t afford insulin to treat her diabetes.

McCue fears that the next time she returns, it could be costly and life-threatening.

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#NBCNewsThreads (1/9)

“That patient,” McCue says, ”will end up in the hospital and it will cost us $5,000 for a 2-day stay instead of $200 to $300 a month it would have cost for her insulin." (2/9)

That’s a weekly occurrence for him, McCue says, because the state hasn’t expanded Medicaid, an option that could provide health care to thousands of working people.

That could soon change, however. (3/9)

Last week, Republicans and Democrats joined together to pass Medicaid expansion in the Wyoming House, potentially signaling the beginning of a change nationwide that could bring health care to those within the coverage gap. (4/9)

Approximately 2.2M people earn too much for Medicaid and too little for Obamacare subsidies, falling into a coverage gap nationwide, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. (5/9)

Expanding Medicaid is an option available to states since 2014 through the Affordable Care Act, yet Wyoming and 11 other states have refused to take up the federal government’s offer. nbcnews.com/politics/polit… (6/9)

The conversation around Medicaid expansion continues after the Biden admin.’s offer, via the Covid-19 relief bill, of increased federal dollars over 2 years to states that adopt expansion for the first time. This could cover states’ Medicaid costs for that period. (7/9)

“It’s the stimulus funds that are really the motivation,” said Wyoming Senate Minority Leader Rothfuss, who helped write the bill moving its way through the state's Legislature.

“I think it has really changed some hearts and minds.” (8/9)

It’s not just Wyoming where advocates and state leaders have begun to see the ground shift.

Alabama Gov. Ivey’s office says she is “open to the discussion,” and there is fresh movement among some Republicans in North Carolina, Texas and in other states. (9/9)