Healthcare

This bill allows Wyoming's county memorial hospitals and hospital districts to file for bankruptcy under a process designed for local governments (Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code) to address debt challenges without dissolving the hospital. County memorial hospitals must get approval from the county commissioners before filing, while hospital districts must publicly post their bankruptcy plan for seven days and hold a public meeting before trustees vote. Hospital districts no longer require a vote of the public to initiate bankruptcy proceedings. The changes take effect on July 1, 2026.

HB 4 would add birthing center services to Wyoming's Medicaid program, allowing Medicaid to cover care provided by qualifying birthing centers. This directly affects Medicaid recipients who use birthing centers and the centers themselves, which must meet state definitions under existing law. The bill amends the Medicaid coverage list to include these services, effective July 1, 2026. This change expands access to Medicaid-covered birth services beyond traditional hospitals.

The Expanding Physician Access Act allows Wyoming's Board of Medicine to issue provisional medical licenses to internationally trained physicians who meet specific criteria. To qualify, these physicians must have a job offer from a Wyoming health care provider (like a hospital or clinic), hold a current license in their home country for the past five years, complete at least seven years of practice (or 12 years without residency), pass U.S. medical exams and English fluency tests, and have valid U.S. work authorization. The provisional license is tied to employment: if a physician loses their job, the license is suspended until they find new employment, and revoked after six months without a position. A supervising physician - fully licensed in Wyoming with specific qualifications - must be approved to oversee the internationally trained physician.

HB 179, the Hospital Price Transparency Act, requires Wyoming hospitals to publicly list prices for medical services and items on their websites. Specifically, hospitals must post all standard charges in a machine-readable format and provide a readable list of prices for common "shoppable services" (like scheduled procedures) that patients can compare before receiving care. The law applies to all licensed Wyoming hospitals and aims to help patients understand costs for services such as room fees, procedures, and prescription drugs. The Wyoming Department of Health will monitor compliance and enforce penalties for noncompliance, including prohibiting hospitals from collecting debts when transparency rules are violated.