New Census data released today shows that the number of Wisconsinites who don’t have health insurance ticked up last year. The number is still much lower than in 2013 before major pieces of the Affordable Care Act were put in place. About 208,000 fewer Wisconsin residents were uninsured last year compared with 2013, a 40 percent decline.

Wisconsin is holding the line on progress that we’ve made in the last few years, but continued acts of sabotage against the Affordable Care Act threaten those coverage gains. Having failed in their attempts to repeal the health law, the Trump administration is attempting to destroy the ACA through executive actions. Rather than protect Wisconsin residents, Governor Walker has authorized our Attorney General to lead in a lawsuit seeking to overturn the health law that has brought coverage to millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites.

If Wisconsin wants to protect and build upon its progress since 2013, state lawmakers and the Governor should:

1. Fully Expand BadgerCare
Wisconsin used to lead in insurance coverage, but since its decision to refuse Medicaid expansion funds, several states that did expand Medicaid are passing us by. States like Michigan, and Kentucky have caught up with or climbed ahead of Wisconsin since 2013. The states that have expanded Medicaid have experienced larger gains in health insurance coverage.

With its partial expansion, Wisconsin is doing better than most other states that have also chosen to forgo Medicaid expansion, but we could be doing so much better. For example, if we had the same percentage drop in the uninsured as Michigan, about 63,000 more people would be covered. The chart compares Wisconsin with states based on their decision to expand Medicaid.

By fully expanding BadgerCare, Wisconsin could cover 80,000 more low-income working adults and save $200 million per year. We could use those savings to pay for other services we need like education, transportation, or housing. We could cover more people and save money, there’s really no downside.

2. Withdraw Wisconsin from the Lawsuit Threatening the ACA
Governor Walker authorized the Attorney General’s office to travel to a federal court in Texas and argue that “all of the ACA should fall”. If a judge sides with the Wisconsin AG, it would quickly erase much of the gains in health insurance coverage made over the last four years.

If the Governor wants to protect the progress we’ve made and meaningfully protect people with pre-existing conditions, he needs to instruct the AG’s office to withdraw from the lawsuit and start actively supporting the Affordable Care Act.

3. Limit Sale of “Junk” Insurance Plans that Won’t Protect People with Pre-Existing Conditions
The Trump administration recently finalized rules that vastly expands availability of short-term health plans and association health plans. Both are exempt from much of the current consumer protections, like protections for people with pre-existing conditions and annual limits on out-of-pocket costs. These actions will make insurance more expensive for the people who need it most and threaten the stability of the ACA Marketplace.

Wisconsin should take actions that help people in the individual insurance market and provide meaningful protection for people with pre-existing conditions. Because short-term plans are exempt from most consumer protections, Wisconsin lawmakers should limit the expansion of them. It should also regulate association health plans so that they better protect people with preexisting conditions.

4. Invest in Outreach and Enrollment for the ACA
Last year the Trump administration slashed its outreach and advertising budget by 90%, likely resulting in fewer people hearing about the ACA and its shortened open enrollment period.

Health and Human Services (HHS) administration officials also substantially cut funding for navigator agencies across the country. In some states cuts to navigator agencies were as much as 92%, and navigator groups in Wisconsin lost nearly half of their federal funds. This year, they cut funding yet again.

Since the Trump administration isn’t willing to support the ACA, Wisconsin should invest in outreach and enrollment assistance to support more people understanding and signing up for the coverage they need.

The new data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) put in perspective what is at stake for Wisconsinites if the Affordable Care Act is repealed by Congress, struck down by a pending lawsuit, or effectively repealed through the Trump administration’s attempts at death by 1,000 cuts. Wisconsin must stop sabotaging the ACA and instead work toward meaningful policy changes that will protect and increase access to comprehensive insurance for all Wisconsinites.

William Parke-Sutherland