Public Health Impact of Wildfire Smoke Exposure: Analysis of Respiratory-Related Medicaid Claims in Wyoming

The observed surge in claims is interpreted as the release of suppressed demand, driven by the intersection of particulate matter 2.5's biological latency and the overwhelming structural barriers (e.g., urgent access, lack of transportation) faced by Medicaid recipients. This research supports consideration of a paradigm shift from acute crisis response to a lag-adjusted preparedness model, requiring public health systems to implement targeted post-occurrence outreach and proactive structural interventions to mitigate this preventable surge in post-event healthcare utilization.