Dear editor:
In Wyoming, we take pride in solving our own problems. When we decide to build something — an industry, a rail line, an entire economy out of coal — we don’t wait for someone else to figure it out. We roll up our sleeves and get to work.
That’s why what’s happening with health insurance in our state should concern every resident, not just those of us buying coverage on our own.
I’ve spent my entire career in health care and health insurance in Wyoming. I’ve served on the Governor’s Health Task Force, partnered with national carriers, and helped people navigate complicated health decisions. I understand this system from the inside.
And yet, for the first time in my life, I’m completely helpless when it comes to my own coverage. I cannot afford health insurance in the very state whose health system I’ve helped support.
The lowest plan available to us on the marketplace for 2026 costs over $3,600 a month — more than many Wyoming mortgages — and has a deductible so high we would struggle to use it. There are no other options except to change careers or leave Wyoming, both of which I’m now forced to consider.
If someone with my background, experience, and income cannot participate in our system, it’s no longer a personal problem. It’s a signal that the system itself is broken.
I emailed Senator Cynthia Lummis, who shared ideas like health savings accounts, transparency, and telehealth innovation.
While worthwhile in general, none address the immediate reality that tens of thousands of Wyoming residents are facing 200 – 400% premium increases with nowhere else to turn.
HSAs help only if you can afford an HSA-qualified plan and fund the account. Telehealth helps only if you have coverage. Transparency helps only if there is an affordable plan to choose from, with enough money left to pay for care.
I also reached out to the governor’s office in early September to ask whether Wyoming is exploring any state-level strategies and how I could help. I didn’t hear back.
I don’t share that to criticize, but to highlight how silence feels for those of us living this crisis: it does not feel like this is being treated as the emergency it has become.
Other Western states haven’t waited for Congress. Colorado and Montana have implemented state-level tools — reinsurance programs, alternative marketplaces, and targeted support for self-employed residents — that lowered premiums and stabilized their markets.
I’m not suggesting Wyoming copy them, but we should at least publicly discuss what a Wyoming-made solution could look like.
If we do nothing, we will see more uninsured families, more unpaid hospital bills, more cost-shifting, more delayed care, and more strain on rural hospitals. None of this is good for insurers, providers, or residents.
Wyoming has always risen to the occasion when something matters. This matters. I’m asking our elected leaders to treat this like the five-alarm fire it is, communicate openly about progress, and bring the right people to the table to build a solution worthy of this state. It’s time to get Wyoming tough, or, sadly, get out of Wyoming.
Sincerely,
Alice Burron, Cheyenne
