Notes from the West Wing
By
State Representative Garey Bies
Badger Care Plus
With the onset of February, Wisconsin’s BadgerCare program is now better than ever. I’m sure many of you have seen a news report about BadgerCare Plus, but I thought for this edition of Notes from the West Wing, I would talk about the program a bit further, incase some of you may be interested.
As of February 1st, new provisions for the BadgerCare Plus program kicked into gear. The expanded coverage of the program was approved by the Assembly and Senate as part of the State Budget which the Governor signed into law. According to the Department of Health and Family Services, which oversees the program, with implementation of BadgerCare Plus, over 98 percent of Wisconsin residents will have access to quality healthcare. I was proud to support this expansion in the Assembly and I firmly believe this is the far more prudent course of action than what was proposed by the Senate with Healthy Wisconsin. This is not to say that the Assembly is now resting on its laurels, there still is that last 2% of residents out there that we’d like to get coverage for. But Healthy Wisconsin’s cost of $500 in taxes per month per person (not per family, per person) is not the answer, especially given the deteriorating condition of the economy. BadgerCare Plus was a step, and now, having been realized, we can continue the process and get to that next step.
The central component under the expanded BadgerCare Plus program is the health care coverage for all Wisconsin children regardless of income level. Also receiving coverage under BadgerCare Plus will be: pregnant women with incomes up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) (which is $51,510 for a Family of Three); Parents and relatives caring for a child up to 200% of the FPL; and young adults in Foster Care who turn 18 on or after January 1, 2008, will automatically be able to get BadgerCare Plus until they turn 21, regardless of income. In addition, farm families and other families who are self-employed may be eligible under BadgerCare Plus if their income is under 200% of the FPL and BadgerCare Plus has a new way of counting depreciation which will help even more families enroll.
To get detailed information about BadgerCare Plus and whether you may qualify, you can either contact my office and I can send you additional information, or, you can contact the Department directly:
Telephone: 1-800-362-3002
Email: BadgerCarePlus@dhfs.state.wi.us
Or you can visit their website:
http://www.dhfs.wisconsin.gov/badgercareplus/index.htm
In the Assembly I am continuing to work to help Wisconsin residents gain health care coverage. BadgerCare Plus and other initiatives help us towards the ultimate goal of providing access to health care for all. We’re not there yet, and we’re continuing to work, but we’re making real progress. As always, I can be reached by e-mail at Rep.Bies@legis.wisconsin.gov or by telephone, toll-free at 1-888-482-0001. You can also visit my website at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm01/news/.