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6/8/2009 Covering the uninsured makes Wisconsin a national leader in health care reform By Jim Doyle The column below reflects the views of the author, and these opinions are neither endorsed nor supported by WisOpinion.com. Right now, somewhere in Wisconsin, someone is making the tough choice between paying for groceries and paying for a visit to the doctor. Someone out there has had a terrible cold for two weeks that is just getting worse, but they know if they pay to go to the clinic, they won’t be able to put food on the table. Each day, people in our state and around the country, are forced to gamble that they won’t injure themselves or get sick. And each day people lose that gamble as their preventable illnesses turn into serious medical conditions and they are forced to go to the emergency room where the cost of care is much greater. These are our friends, neighbors and colleagues in Wisconsin who can’t afford health care coverage and don’t qualify for state programs because they don’t have dependent children living at home. In Wisconsin, we are taking this challenge head on and have become a national leader on health care reform. In February of 2008, I worked to create the BadgerCare Plus program -- a streamlined, user-friendly update to the existing BadgerCare plan -- that extended coverage to all kids and made it easier to enroll and stay enrolled. So far, we have enrolled 130,000 new individuals, two-thirds of whom were children. June 15, 2009, will mark another important milestone in Wisconsin. That day, low-income adults without dependent children can apply for the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan. The Core Plan is a limited benefit for people who are long-term uninsured and is the next step in my goal of ensuring that 98 percent of people in Wisconsin will have access to affordable health care. Not every adult in the state without dependent children will be eligible. People must have a monthly income at or below $1805.00 for a single person and $2,428.33 for a married couple and cannot have health insurance in the month they apply or the previous 12 months. In addition, they cannot have access to employer-subsidized health insurance currently or during the past 12 months. The Core Plan will provide a coverage option to more than 40,000 Wisconsin citizens who currently have no options at all. Health care reform is a big issue to solve. For years, the discussion has focused on finding the one approach that will solve everything. Here in Wisconsin, we have focused on several approaches to lower costs, improve quality and most importantly expand access to care. There is still a great deal of work to do, but even in tough budget times we are committed to moving forward with services that are needed now more than ever. The BadgerCare Plus Core Plan ensures our most chronically uninsured citizens no longer have to make the choice between putting food on the table and going to the doctor. If you have been without health insurance for a year or more, or lost your health insurance through no fault of your own, and have a limited income, I encourage you to visit www.badgercareplus.org for more information. We have also collaborated with numerous organizations across the state that can help answer questions about the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan. If you think you may be eligible, consider applying for the program on or after June 15, 2009 through www.badgercareplus.org or by calling the Enrollment Services Center at 1-800-291-2002. Benefits may begin for some people as early as July 15, 2009. -- Doyle, a Democrat, is Wisconsin's governor. |
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