League of Women Voters of Wisconsin Supports Medicaid Expansion in State Budget
The League of Women Voters believes that every U.S. resident should have access to quality, affordable health care. In Wisconsin, about eight percent of adults and families -- primarily the working poor and their children -- did not have health insurance coverage for at least part of 2017, the last year for which these figures are available.
The Governor’s budget proposal recommends expanding BadgerCare eligibility to cover approximately 80,000 more adults, by lifting the income eligibility ceiling for a single individual from $12,490/year to $17,236/year. The League has advocated for Wisconsin to accept these federal funds for years, and we are pleased to see this proposal now.
In addition to the obvious benefits for the additional people who will enroll in the BadgerCare program, this proposal is a keystone measure in the Governor’s budget for funding other programs the League supports. The expansion itself will increase federal funding for health care in Wisconsin, yielding a net savings for state taxpayers of about $160 million/year. The Governor proposes to use these funds provide desperately needed funding for such items as:
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Increased payment rates for certified child care providers;
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Additional inspectors for assisted living facilities;
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Additional nursing educators and dental therapist training;
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Additional support for the ombudsman program in the Board on Aging and Long Term Care, which protects the rights of long term care consumers.
Medicaid expansion will help keep healthcare costs down, and it will return significant federal tax dollars to our state. It is an obvious win-win for Wisconsin.
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The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin is a nonpartisan political organization that advocates for informed and active participation in government. There are 20 local Leagues throughout Wisconsin. More information at lwvwi.org.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 8, 2019
Contact: Erin Grunze, Executive Director, 608-256-0827; egrunze [at] lwvwi.org
