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.
Lame Duck Law Severely Limits Wisconsin’s Ability to Fight the Pandemic
While other states are moving quickly to make Medicaid a stronger tool for fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin has been unable to do so. The Evers administration’s efforts to make needed changes to Medicaid have been stymied by the “lame duck” law, which...