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.
Four Key Steps to Protecting Wisconsinites’ Access to Insurance
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.
Lawsuit Poses Latest Threat to Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions
Do you or someone you know have anxiety, depression, cancer, asthma, diabetes, heart disease? These are some of the most common pre-existing conditions, which prior to 2014 insurance companies could refuse to cover. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurance...
Q&A: Insurance Coverage for Pre-existing Conditions
This Q&A report explores the history of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, the protections provided by the ACA, and the current threats to that coverage from policymakers and political leaders in Wisconsin and at the federal level.
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
2022 Kids Count Data Book: Wisconsin’s Children of Color More Likely to Face Mental Health Issues
Anxiety and depression are rising among Wisconsin’s youth, especially children of color.
The Affordable Care Act In Wisconsin: Helping Families Get the Health Care They Need
Click here for a printable PDF version
New Federal Policy Creates a Backup Plan for Continuing Insurance Coverage
State Schedules Information Sessions about Open Enrollment and New Procedures Federal officials have put in place a new option for the continuation of Marketplace insurance coverage under certain conditions. It’s a backup option for people whose current insurers are...
Five Charts on the Uninsured in Wisconsin
PDF Version Health Insurance in Wisconsin: Progress and Potential Improvement The uninsured rate has been dropping since the implementation of major Affordable Care Act provisions. Wisconsin has seen a significant drop, however further improvement could be realized if...
Wisconsin’s Estimate of Medicaid Savings Grows to $638 Million
Two Reports Bring Wisconsin Good News about the Medicaid Budget The projected savings in Wisconsin’s current Medicaid budget have grown even larger since the last estimate was released just a couple of weeks ago. In addition, it now appears that the federal share of...
2017 Will Be a Pivotal Year for Health Care
Will Policymakers Continue the Remarkable Progress or Reverse Course? The next year will be a pivotal one for health care because state and federal policymakers might build on the remarkable gains in health insurance coverage achieved over the past two years, or they...
Balancing the Medicaid Budget: Opportunities and Challenges
The budget request submitted by the Department of Health Services (DHS) last week estimates that Wisconsin’s share of the cost of maintaining the Medicaid budget will grow by about $452 million during the next two fiscal years (2017-19), relative to the current base....
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