Enrollment in Wisconsin’s BadgerCare Program Declining by About 3,000 Beneficiaries Monthly

Participation in Wisconsin's BadgerCare program, which provides health insurance to low-income children and their parents, has declined by up to 3,000 beneficiaries per month after new eligibility rules were established in May, the AP/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Some residents have been denied benefits or excluded from the program because they failed to comply with new regulations to return a one-page form verifying their employment, income and health insurance status; did not show up for an annual review of their eligibility; or failed to provide certain information. According to Mark Moody, who oversees BadgerCare for the state Department of Health and Family Services, the new eligibility requirements were expected to cut enrollment by 6%, but caseloads have decreased by 13%. Wisconsin Budget Project Director Jon Peacock said the additional paperwork to prove eligibility seems to be a large obstacle to maintaining coverage. He added, "This is a much more dramatic change in enrollment than anyone anticipated. It doesn't appear to have much to do with people being found ineligible." Peacock said he is concerned that employers are not cooperating with employees to fill out forms, or employees are too embarrassed to tell their employers they are on public assistance. The department is working to find reasons the forms are not being returned. "The policy on employment verification was to make sure that only people who truly qualify are getting the benefits. It was not intended to create an artificial barrier that would just prevent people who were eligible from getting the benefits," Moody said (Price, AP/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 10/13).