By Jack Casey
The Daily Cardinal
The Joint Finance Committee held a second listening session Wednesday to discuss Gov. Scott Walker’s recent biennial budget proposals, including his plan to reform statewide health care coverage.
The JFC has the power to change portions of Walker’s budget before they eventually vote on it, but the legislators who are a part of the committee are currently only holding hearing sessions with representatives from state agencies affected by the biennial budget.
Walker’s decision to not accept federal funds to expand the state’s Medicaid coverage was a focal point of Wednesday’s session.
Kitty Rhoades, the secretary-elect for the Department of Health Services, testified before the 16-person panel about the current state of DHS and Medicaid coverage in the state. She said DHS is well-equipped to ensure state citizens get the health care coverage they need, whether it be through full Medicaid coverage or federally subsidized coverage that can be purchased through federally run exchanges.
Democratic committee members, who are in the minority on the JFC, rehashed a variety of complaints about Walker’s decision since he announced it in February. Democrats’ concerns focused on the number of people they say would be left without Medicaid coverage under Walker’s plan because they would not be able to afford coverage in the exchanges. Democrats also expressedconcern over an estimated $100 million more the state would have to pay without the available federal funding.
State Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee, who sits on the JFC and supports accepting the federal funding, echoed these concerns while questioning Rhoades.
“We cover fewer people, we spend more money, we keep people on waiting lists and we allow federal money that would be available to us to be spent in other states,” Richards said. “How is that a good deal for Wisconsin?”
Rhoades responded by assuring the committee the health-care system would give citizens access to care either through full coverage under Medicaid or through purchasing coverage through federally run exchanges.
BadgerCare, the state Medicaid system, currently covers all adults with children if the adult’s income falls at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level and some of the childless adults that make at or below 200 percent.
If Walker accepted the federal funding from the Affordable Care Act, the state system would stay in place, and every childless adult making at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty level would have full coverage.
Comparatively, if Walker follows through with his proposal, every adult in the state, including those without children, making at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level would have full coverage. However, adults who have children and make between 100 and 200 percent of the poverty level would be taken off BadgerCare and be required to use the exchanges to purchase health care with the possibility of receiving aid through federal subsidies.
The JFC plans to consider the University of Wisconsin System funding structure under the budget in its Thursday session.
