The COVID pandemic and the recession it caused illustrated the tremendous importance of public benefit programs like BadgerCare, FoodShare, and Unemployment Insurance. Yet a number of Republican legislators are trying to hurriedly pass a package of bills that would weaken the sources of public assistance that have been so critical over...
Health Care
Opportunity Wasted: Legislature Removes Nearly All Items Promoting Racial Equity from the State Budget
Introduction The events of the past year have made the deep, longstanding racial disparities in our nation much more obvious. The COVID-19 pandemic and the current recession have not only shined a light on those disparities, but have also made them much worse. On many different indicators, Wisconsin is at or very near the top in terms...
Legislature’s Health Budget – Missed Opportunities for a Healthier, more Equitable Wisconsin
The legislature’s Joint Finance Committee put forward a budget that in many ways continues the status quo while providing substantial increases for personal care services and boosting funding for certain Medicaid providers, such as dentists and emergency physicians. It also increases funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and behavioral...
Unpacking Wisconsin’s Coverage Gap and how BadgerCare Expansion Can Help
Wisconsin lawmakers still refuse to expand BadgerCare. Instead they are relying on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace to cover low-income individuals and parents who would otherwise be eligible for BadgerCare if Wisconsin joined the 38 states that have expanded Medicaid (known in Wisconsin as BadgerCare). This decision leaves thousands...
Wisconsin Legislature Shows Budget Priorities by Voting Against Expanding Health Care, and For a Tax Cut for the Wealthy
Last week the budget committee of the Wisconsin legislature removed a provision from the state budget that would have provided health insurance to almost 100,000 Wisconsin residents with low incomes, while saving the state more than a billion dollars in tax revenue over the next two years. On the same day, the committee preserved a tax...
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