Ensure Health
No matter where we live or what we look like, we all deserve to live safe and healthy lives. However, over decades, Wisconsin lawmakers have chosen the wealthy few over our communities. This has resulted in unprecedented disparities in education, income, housing and more—the social determinants of our communities’ health. And, some lawmakers have chosen to play politics instead of providing the health care that our communities desperately need. When we work together and address the root causes of health inequities, we give everyone the opportunity to live happier, healthier lives.
With partners at the Noble Community Health Center’s Children’s Health Day, August 2024, in Wautoma.
Badgercare vs Medicaid
Medicaid provides health insurance for more than one million people in Wisconsin. BadgerCare, one of several Medicaid programs, is health insurance for kids, parents, and adults with low incomes who typically don’t have access to coverage through their job. Medicaid also offers long term care for people with disabilities and older adults who need support to stay independent in their communities.
Learn more about Medicaid vs BadgerCare here.
Advocating for Health Care Coverage for All Wisconsin Residents
Physical and mental health care is a human right and access to care is essential for a just society. No matter someone’s race, how much money they make, or where they were born we all deserve comprehensive, affordable, quality health care. We are working for that future, but we know we have a long way to go.
Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act provides health care for one in four people living in Wisconsin. Through community and partner informed research, data-analysis, advocacy, and education we work to strengthen, protect, and improve Medicaid and access to affordable health coverage and care.
We team up with providers, patients, workers, advocates, and other stakeholders to push for policies such as extending postpartum Medicaid coverage, fully expanding Medicaid, and making it easier for people to get the care they need Medicaid and insurance providers covering care provided by doulas, community health workers, and other trusted sources of care close to communities.
Sharing personal stories that we can bring to the state capital is one of the most powerful ways to join the fight for a just healthcare system.
Gov. Evers’ State of the State Put Kids and Families First
Kids Forward applauds Governor Tony Evers for proposing a budget that puts kids and families first and that seeks to address the challenges kids and families of color face. He offered bipartisan proposals to restore two thirds funding for K-12 education, increase mental health services in schools, reform the criminal and juvenile justice systems, give working and middle class families a tax cut, and increase access to quality, affordable health care by expanding Badger Care.
States Can’t Effectively Replace ACA Provisions relating to Pre-existing Conditions
A recent court ruling against the validity of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is likely to be overturned by higher courts, but that’s far from certain. What does seem certain is that the ruling will create much more debate in Wisconsin about the steps that state and...
Legislators Fail to Protect Coverage of Pre-existing Conditions
Many Republican lawmakers, including the Governor, promised in the weeks prior to the mid-term election that they would ensure that regardless of whatever happens to the Affordable Care Act, Wisconsinites would continue to have the same protections for pre-existing conditions. But thus far, the only legislation they have proposed takes us in the wrong direction.
Healthy Food & Active Kids
Nourishing food and safe, inviting physical activity are a basic need for every child in Wisconsin. But, some lawmakers choose to line the pocketbooks of Wisconsin’s wealthy few instead of reinvesting our tax dollars back into our communities. Both Wisconsin’s urban and rural communities are too often in food deserts where healthy food is expensive and hard to access. Many communities and neighborhoods don’t have safe, inviting playgrounds and outdoor spaces. Mental health is suffering.
Kids Forward helps lead two statewide coalitions that work to improve nutrition security and physical activity, as well as opportunities for outdoor learning and play. Learning where our food comes from: gardening and cooking are essential as we “Grow Healthy Kids”.
Together we have developed resources and trainings, provided financial support, and partnered with state agencies and local organizations to get kids outside and eating locally grown food.
Lake Michigan School Food System Innovation Hub
We have partnered with the USDA and Illinois Public Health Institute to launch the Lake Michigan School Food Systems Innovation Hub. We’re funding collaborations with farmers, food suppliers, food service directors, community-based program leaders and more to strengthen the K-12 food supply chain.
Healthy Early
A statewide, cross-sector partnership, Healthy Early is working to create equitable opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity for Wisconsin kids and families. Kids Forward currently serves as a convener for the coalition.
To learn more, contact Daithi Wolfe.
Healthy Early leaders at their first in-person retreat in April 2024.
Improving Language Access in Wisconsin
In 2024, Kids Forward and the Multicultural Coalition launched our Language Access Awareness Campaign. This partnership grew out of a need to address language barriers not only at the direct service level, but also at the systems and policy level. To ensure families can access services and meet their basic needs, communities must work collectively to provide meaningful language access services up front, not just translations by request.
Wisconsin currently does not have a statewide language access plan, although some counties and state agencies have prepared their own. Now is the time for local and state governments to get proactive about creating robust language plans and ensuring that all families, regardless of language, can access the critical resources they need. Contact your legislators and Governor Tony Evers to ask them to support the implementation of a statewide language access plan.
To learn more, contact Amanda Martinez.
With the Multicultural Coalition Inc, in October 2024 we brought together advocates and service providers in the Fox Valley to share challenges and solutions around language access.
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Research & Publications
Happy New Year! Plus Our 2022 Highlights
Let’s take a look back on just a few of our accomplishments in 2022, plus staff comings and goings.
Beware of the Zombie Attacks on Medicaid
Budget Bills Pose Even Larger Threats to Medicaid We all know that in a horror movie the villain that has been threatening death or destruction will appear to die, only to miraculously come back to life for one or more final attempts on the life of the heroic...
Senate Health Bill: Implications for Wisconsin
The Senate's latest health bill will hurt many Wisconsinites whether they are on BadgerCare, receiving insurance through the marketplace, or have insurance through their employer. New analyses of the bill show that it will increase the number of people without...
Senate Health Plan Erases Wisconsin Gains in Insurance Coverage
Over the past few years, the number of uninsured Wisconsinites has been significantly reduced. However, the positive downward trend is likely to be reversed under the Senate’s proposal to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and make huge cuts to the Medicaid...
The “Pay More for Less” Health Plan
As long as the Senate is changing the name of the “American Health Care Act” (AHCA), they ought to come up with something that paints a more accurate picture of the bill. Rather than their dull and misleading title, the “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017,” the...
A Similar but Meaner Health Bill for WI Children and Families
After the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed the House in early May, there was a lot of talk from many in the Senate on how they would “start from scratch” to build a much better and more popular bill. Well, after a thirteen member all-male group of Senators held...
Congressional Plans to Gut the ACA and Medicaid will Reverse Gains Made in Children’s Access to Care
The Senate is considering even deeper cuts to Medicaid funding than those proposed by the House in the American Health Care Act. These cuts would negatively impact the gains made in health care access for children across the nation. A report from the Center on...
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