Back in October 2011, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) estimated that the state was facing a shortfall in the budget for Medicaid and BadgerCare of about $550 million during the 2011-13 biennium: almost $220 million in state General Purpose Revenue (GPR) and $330 million of matching federal funds. Since then, the size of the projected deficit has fallen by more than 60 percent, without accounting for the newer cost-saving measures. This short paper provides a summary of the evolving deficit estimate and offers several options for closing that shortfall.
The State Budget is an Opportunity to Reduce Income Inequality
Whether Black, Brown, or white, rural or city, we all can thrive when state leaders invest in our children, families, and communities. Tax cuts for the rich are not the path to prosperity and will only make income inequality in Wisconsin worse.
