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.
State Budget: Early Care & Education
Main Takeaways Child care is unaffordable and unavailable for too many working families. Child care staff are severely underpaid and this critical industry is on the verge of collapse unless there is continued economic support. The Governor's budget takes several...