Event: A Community Conversation on Medicaid

by Kids Forward | May 13, 2025

Home 9 Health Care 9 Affordable Care Act (ACA) 9 Event: A Community Conversation on Medicaid

This month, Congress is considering Medicaid cuts. Join us to share your experience and help preserve Medicaid’s role in mental health and substance use care.

Tuesday, May 20th, 3:30 – 4:30 PM

Foundations Health & Wholeness
1061 W Mason St
Green Bay, WI 54303

Medicaid is the largest payer for mental health and addiction treatment services in Wisconsin and across the nation. It provides a lifeline for over one million Wisconsinites, including children, parents, and adults with lower incomes who often lack other insurance options. BadgerCare, one of our state’s Medicaid programs, is particularly crucial in rural communities where access to employer-sponsored health insurance is limited.

However, the stability of these essential services is under threat. Congress is considering drastic cuts to Medicaid – potentially as much as $880 billion over the next ten years. These cuts would be devastating for Wisconsin, jeopardizing access to mental health and substance use treatment for countless individuals and families, including the one in three rural children who rely on Medicaid for their health coverage.

This listening session is a critical opportunity to:

  • Hear directly from a panel of 5-6 speakers representing providers, patients, counties, schools, and foster care about the real-world impact of Medicaid on mental health and substance use care.
  • Share your own experiences with how Medicaid has supported mental health and substance use services for you, your family, your students, or your patients.
  • Participate in facilitated small group discussions to capture these vital stories and collaboratively develop concrete action steps and plans to protect Medicaid funding.

Your voice is powerful.

Our elected officials need to understand the profound consequences of these proposed cuts. By sharing your experiences, we show how  Medicaid is essential to  ensure access to mental health and substance use care for more than one million Wisconsinites.

Agenda

  • 3:30 PM – 4:00 PM: Press Conference featuring personal testimonies from providers, patients, school representatives, and students highlighting the importance of Medicaid for mental health and substance use services.
  • 4:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Facilitated small group discussions to share individual stories, discuss the potential impact of Medicaid cuts, and develop collective action plans to advocate for continued funding.

Join us on May 20th to make your voice heard and help protect these essential services for our community!

 

Join us to build a Wisconsin where
every child and family thrives.

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