Today, New Mexico joined ten other states in declaring that they plan to use the Affordable Care Act (ACA) opportunity to provide more coverage to their low-income residents under Medicaid. This makes New Mexico’s Governor Martinez the second Republican governor to do so. In mid-December, Nevada’s Governor Sandoval announcedthat he would take advantage of the ACA’s provision to provide coverage to 78,000 residents, saving the state $16 million in mental health programs alone.

If you’ve been following the WisKids blog, you’ll know that we’ve been watching the evidence build for what a good deal this is for states. The Kaiser Family Foundation and Urban Institute report analyzed the positive implications state-by-state, and estimated that Wisconsin would save $248 million over the next ten years by using the ACA to fill the gap in BadgerCare.  A Missouri study showed that the Medicaid opportunity would yield 24,000 jobs in the state. An Idaho study demonstrated savings in both the short and long-term, and endorsed expansion of their Medicaid program. These are only a few of the positive developments in recent months, highlighting the important role the Medicaid opportunity has in state economies.

Though we still don’t have a comprehensive Wisconsin-specific analysis on the economic impact of filling the gap in BadgerCare coverage, we know that it’s the right decision for our state lawmakers. Remember our top ten reasons (it saves lives, saves money, helps Wisconsin workers, etc.), and share them. Governor Walker will announce his intentions when he releases his budget in February. That leaves us just a few short weeks to continue this dialogue – showing him, legislative leaders, and the people of Wisconsin the importance of providing BadgerCare coverage to all our low-income residents.

Sara Eskrich