WISCONSIN'S APPROACH TO OPERATIONALIZING THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Kevin Moore talked about how BadgerCare Plus is Wisconsin's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance program.  BadgerCare Plus provides coverage for approximately 750,000 people each month.  Wisconsin also provides Medicaid and related health coverage for an additional 400,000 people per month.  The objectives of BadgerCare Plus Reform are to ensure that every resident has access to health insurance, create a Medicaid program that is sustainable, reduce reliance upon government health insurance,  maintain the healthcare safety net for those who need it most, reduce the number of uninsured nonelderly adults in our state, encourage consumers to be active participants in their healthcare and simplify the Medicaid program by providing a standard of comprehensive benefits that will lead to improved healthcare outcomes.  About 40,000 children have access and are eligible for BadgerCare but they are not signed up.  Prior to today, Medicaid eligibility was for children, pregnant women, parents/caretakers relatives and childless adults.  The three main drivers of Medicaid spending are mental health, substance abuse and dental.  BadgerCare and the program changes include providing the same benefits under BadgerCare in addition to all adults living in poverty for the first time in Wisconsin history, continue to cover pregnant women and children up to 300% FPL and provide a standard set of benefits to everyone on BadgerCare Plus.  In Wisconsin, Medicaid costs $7.2 billion per year and of that $4.4 billion is federal monies.  The federal government told states that if they don’t expand coverage to those at 133% of federal poverty level that they would not get funds for Medicaid.  It was determined that states could decide if they wanted to expand or not.  Wisconsin chose not to expand but to still provide Medicaid.  According to the Kaiser Family Foundation as of April 1, 2014, Wisconsin is the only state in the nation to have no gap in coverage and not expand Medicaid.  Everyone in Wisconsin can have access to Medicaid or get subsidies. Due to the healthcare.gov issues experienced after the initial launch, Governor Walker requested that the Wisconsin legislature approve delaying the BadgerCare Plus Reform changes until April 1, 2014.  Wisconsin’s outreach and transition strategy was to leverage Milwaukee to create an enrollment network model structure, create regional enrollment networks through the state with regional partners, provide appointment and enrollment assistance, mobilize local grassroots resources to assistant people in gaining healthcare coverage and focus on providing information.  The Wisconsin transition infrastructure includes navigators, regional enrollment networks and insurance agents to help pick the right product/plan.  For more information, go to http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/health-care/index.htm or if you would like to see the PowerPoint presentation please contact Lisa Weiner at lweiner@new.rr.com and she will forward it to you.