Medicaid Changes Could Affect Village Residents

, , and residents could see serious changes to their Medicaid coverage if proposed changes from Madison get signed into law.

When the 2011-2013 budget was signed earlier this summer, the Department of Health Services was directed to find $445 million in savings. Since then, officials have said they really need to find more than $550 million in savings to start. More cuts may be needed, they warned.

According to a story from The Associated Press in The Journal Times, about 50,000 residents who use BadgerCare Plus and BadgerCare Plus Core coverage would lose it. More than 200,000 residents could get moved into programs with less covered and reduced benefits.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports that DHS Secretary Dennis Smith's proposal also includes asking for a waiver from the federal government that would allow the state to impose some restrictions on people if their employer offers insurance, to require some "young adults to join their parents' insurance rather than BadgerCare Plus and increasing copayments and premiums for a number of program participants."

In a joint statement, State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said:

“In a time when most states are experiencing record Medicaid deficits and are looking for ways to control spending, we are encouraged Secretary Smith has begun to explore ways to get Wisconsin’s Medicaid budget under control with a focus on making service delivery more efficient, rather than delivering fewer services.

By implementing policies that root out waste, fraud and abuse, by focusing heavily on health-care provider performance, and by implementing payment reform and more care through coordination, DHS is making sure they are using limited resources in the best, most effective way possible in these very tough economic times.

We expect the Joint Committee on Finance to meet and review a waiver Wisconsin must have from the Obama Administration. Without this crucial waiver, 53,000 people could be kicked out of Medicaid.”

But Jon Peacock from Wisconsin Council on Children and Families disagreed. He told The Wisconsin State Journal, "Thousands of families will end up uninsured, will have to rely on emergency rooms as their primary source of care, and the health care system gets less efficient and effective. It isn't truly cost savings, it's cost shifting."

What do you think of the changes proposed by the Department of Health Services?