More Wisconsin Residents Enrolling in Medicaid; Program Facing $1.4B Deficit

Enrollment in Wisconsin's health insurance programs, such as BadgerCare Plus, has increased by 35%, or 238,000 beneficiaries, since 2003 and is expected to rise as the national economic recession continues, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Medicaid programs currently provide some level of care to about one in six state residents, and enrollment reached 926,600 last month, the Journal Sentinel reports. Officials at the state Department of Health Services said the increases in enrollment can be attributed to fewer employers offering health insurance benefits; a simplified enrollment process for BadgerCare Plus and other programs; and higher enrollment in smaller programs, such as the prescription drug program SeniorCare.

The state's Medicaid program, which costs $5 billion annually, faces a deficit of about $1.4 billion through the next two-year budget. Gov. Jim Doyle (D) last week said that the two-year budget, expected to be presented on Feb. 10, will include administrative cuts to Medicaid, but he added that he is committed to maintaining eligibility and protecting health care programs for children (Forster, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/29).