Using the Affordable Care Act to Close the Gap in BadgerCare

As passed by Congress, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) required states to begin in 2014 to offer Medicaid coverage to everyone below 138 percent of the poverty level (except for non-citizens who are undocumented or have not lawfully resided in the U.S. for at least five years). However, the U.S. Supreme Court’s July 2012 decision struck down the requirement, and that ruling makes those Medicaid provisions optional for the states.

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The State of the State for Wisconsin’s Children and Families

Tuesday night, Governor Walker will give his State of the State address. The Governor is expected to use the address to talk about his vision of where Wisconsin stands, and to outline his priorities for the second half of his term.We hope Governor Walker will also use this opportunity to discuss the best ways to improve the well-being...

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An Idea Whose Time Has Come? Let’s Hope!

There is a saying that goes something like “...there is nothing so powerful as an idea whose time has come..,” and we can only hope that is true of the growing recognition that we can do better than treat kids as if they were adults. As bright as they can be, as articulate as they can be, as creative as they can be AND YET as impulsive...

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Wisconsin among National Leaders in Dental Sealants for Kids

Good news can be a scarce commodity, so I tip my hat to Guy Boulton for his article in Tuesday’s Journal Sentinel, which reported that Wisconsin is one of the national leaders in providing dental sealants for kids: Wisconsin is among the five states in the country with the most extensive programs to place dental sealants - plastic...

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BadgerCare Enrollment Falls Sharply in December, Down 23,500 since June

Drop of Almost 5,000 Last Month is Second Largest in the Last Two Years BadgerCare enrollment fell by about 5,000 people in December, including about 1,760 children. I presume that the policy changes implemented in July account for some of drop, and perhaps most of it; however, the reduced participation among children – who aren’t...

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DHS Quarterly Update Sheds Light on Medicaid Spending and BadgerCare Changes

Letter to Finance Committee Says Medicaid Deficit Has Essentially Been ErasedA December 28 letter from the Department of Health Services (DHS) provides good news on the status of the Medicaid/BadgerCare budget and sheds a little light on the effects of the BadgerCare premium increases that were implemented in July. The letter, which was...

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