Some low-income families on BadgerCare Plus could be forced off the program in favor of other paying programs, Wisconsin officials say.
In a recent Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story, officials said certain families who fall into a higher income bracket could move to commercial plans or a state plan similar to BadgerCare Plus. From the story:
The BadgerCare changes start in 2014. Roughly 60,000 adults currently in BadgerCare with incomes between 133% and 200% of the poverty level – between $29,300 and $44,100 for a family of four – could be switched to a so-called insurance exchange authorized by the federal law, state Medicaid director Jason Helgerson said.
The exchange is a system through which individuals and families could compare and buy private health plans and receive subsidies to make them more affordable. State officials could also seek and use 95% of the federal subsidies that would have gone to those individuals to help pay for a program with coverage and features similar to BadgerCare.
Right now, comparing those two options is difficult because no one can say exactly what they will look like or how they will work.
The programs have not yet been created, but must be in place by 2014, when federal healthcare reform goes into effect.
Tue, Apr 6, 2010
Blog, Medicaid