Governor Walker -- Cutting More From Medicaid Than Any Other State in the Nation

[Ellipsis]

by Rep. Gwen Moore

U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 4th Congressional District

Governor Scott Walker has done it again. He has made national news, made a splash -- and certainly established his bona fide conservative credentials once more. But his actions come at a great cost for Wisconsin's low-income families and individuals.

Most Wisconsinites are aware that Wisconsin, under the leadership of Governor Walker, has decided to turn down mind-boggling levels of federal funding available for expanding access to BadgerCare (Wisconsin's Medicaid program). But many are unaware of the flipside of Walker's plans for BadgerCare: the governor and his co-conspirators have added insult to injury by cutting more people from Medicaid than any other state in the nation.

Now, in full disclosure: I'm a Democrat and a supporter of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But I'm also a Wisconsinite, through and through. I know a couple of things about my fellow Wisconsinites. First, we're willing to lend one another a hand when a neighbor is in need -- or lacks something as basic as health care. Second, we expect our elected leaders to pass budgets that meet basic standards of fiscal common sense. Unfortunately, the governor has made the baffling decision to cover fewer people at a greater cost to our state.

In sum -- the governor has decided that rather than expanding eligibility under BadgerCare to all adults under 133 percent of the federal poverty line, and receiving full federal support, he will instead be making major changes to the program and eliminating BadgerCare coverage for thousands and thousands of people. Under the governor's plan, the current income eligibility level for parents and caregivers will be sliced in half, while childless adults below the poverty line will gain access to coverage. This means that approximately 90,000 Wisconsinites will be losing their existing Medicaid coverage.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-gwen-moore/governor-walker---cutting_b_3866998.html