Barrasso Bill Secures Fair Share of Funding for Wyoming Hospitals

U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), joined by Senators Brian Schatz of Hawaii,  Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, and Peter Welch of Vermont, recently introduced bipartisan legislation to secure increased federal support for hospitals that care for a large number of Medicaid and uninsured patients in Wyoming and other rural states. The legislation would ensure these hospitals receive their fair share of federal funding.

The Delivering Support for Hospitals Act would establish a nationwide federal funding minimum for disproportionate share hospitals. Currently, Wyoming receives the lowest payments of any state. In 2023, Wyoming’s DSH funding totaled only $300,000 while the second-lowest state received $11 million.

The legislation establishes a federal floor of $20 million for the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital program, which will then grow at a “low” DSH percentage inflation rate after the first five years. The act also increases DSH payments to Delaware, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming.