The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Christian Schneider also say that Governor Walker will turn down the full Medicaid expansion, and pursue a “middle path.”
Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, made the following statement in response to these media reports:
“We know of no credible middle path that would result in guaranteeing coverage to low income Wisconsinites who currently fall between the cracks in the BadgerCare program. As far as we know, taking the new health care reform money for BadgerCare really is an all or nothing proposition, and has been treated as such by all credible health care experts across the country and the six conservative Governors who have already accepted the money. Based on the fragmentary media reports we have seen, we are very concerned that spokespersons for the Governor are trying to pre-spin a decision that would that would have devastating consequences for the healthcare freedom and security of over 100,000 Wisconsinites. We profoundly hope that these press reports turn out to be inaccurate. If Governor Walker turns down billions in federal money for BadgerCare, there is no doubt that many Wisconsinites will die as a consequence.”
Walker to announce decision on Medicaid expansion
WI State WireSCOTT BAUER
Published: 26 minutes ago
MADISON,
Wis. (AP) - Gov. Scott Walker plans to announce Wednesday his
much-anticipated decision on whether Wisconsin will expand its Medicaid
services to cover 175,000 childless adults as allowed under the federal
health care overhaul law.
Walker
signaled last week that he may strike a middle path, not fully
embracing the expansion allowed under the law championed by President
Barack Obama but also making it possible for more people to get coverage
under the state's BadgerCare Medicaid health programs.
"I
think there's more than just a black or white," Walker told the
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a Friday interview about the choices
before him. "I think there's variations."
Walker
is among the last Republican governors to decide whether to move
forward with the expansion. Six Republican governors, including John
Kasich in Ohio, already have agreed to the expansion while 11 other
Republican governors have turned it down.
Walker's spokesman Cullen Werwie said Tuesday that the governor would announce his decision on Wednesday.
An
outspoken opponent of the health care overhaul law, Walker previously
declined to create a state-run marketplace for insurance providers,
instead deferring to the federal government to create the exchange.
His
decision on Medicaid expansion has been a tightly held secret within
his administration leading up to the release of his state budget on Feb.
20. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday he had not been
told what Walker's decision would be.
"I
want to maintain the maximum flexibility for the state," Vos said,
expressing concerns that the federal reimbursement rate to the state
could be cut in future years, increasing costs.
Supporters
of the Medicaid expansion pointed to an independent analysis by
Wisconsin's nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau released earlier this
month that said the state could save nearly $66 million over three years
by accepting the federal money under the expansion. The savings would
come by replacing state money to cover childless adults with money from
the federal government.
Democratic supporters have said that is too good of an opportunity to pass up.
An
estimated 175,000 childless adults in Wisconsin were expected to
qualify for Medicaid starting in 2014 under a full expansion as allowed
under the law. To qualify, the household income must be below 138
percent of the federal poverty level, which is $15,414 for an individual
this year and $20,628 for a couple.
The
federal government pays for all the expansion for three years, or $1.4
billion in Wisconsin, according to the Fiscal Bureau. After that, the
federal reimbursement gradually declines to 90 percent. Through 2020,
Wisconsin would receive nearly $4.4 billion in federal money, the Fiscal
Bureau said.
Democrats
and a broad array of labor groups, doctors, hospital, health providers
and advocates for the poor have urged Walker to take the deal.
But
Walker had repeatedly cited concerns about how much it may cost in the
long run to pay for the expansion. While the federal government would
pick up the tab for three years, costs to the state would gradually
increase and eventually be 10 percent. Over four years, starting in
2016, new costs to the state would total about $133 million, the Fiscal
Bureau said.
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