At a news conference at the Brown County Courthouse last Thursday afternoon which received substantial coverage on local television, local leaders called on State Senators Robert Cowles and Frank Lasee to join a rising chorus of GOP senators who have been wavering in support of Walker’s plan to reject billions in federal Medicaid dollars for [...]

By Lynda L. Jones Following Governor Walker’s rejection of billions in federal Medicaid funds to fill the holes in BadgerCare, county elected officials from five counties spoke out this week during a media call. The leaders are calling on the legislature to overturn the decision by Governor Walker to reject billions in federal funds to [...]

By Cassandra Lans It’s like going back in history again. Governor Scott Walker announced that he plans to reject $12 billion from the federal government that would expand the state’s Badger- Care program with no additional cost from Wisconsin’s taxpayers. Many legislators and community leaders say that the governor is playing politics with literally the [...]

The Department of Health Services is holding public meetings to solicit comments on a draft proposal for Virtual PACE, a program to integrate the care for people who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. More than 120,000 Wisconsin residents receive their health care through a combination of their Medicare and Medicaid benefit. This proposal [...]

Wisconsin’s low-income citizens are in deep financial stress. Under the current budget, Gov. Scott Walker plans to cut $554 million to Wisconsin’s BadgerCare and Medicaid programs over the next two years. That’s $554 million from health services offered to low-income families, children, adults, seniors and individuals with disabilities. $554 million from detrimental programs designed to [...]

MADISON – Department of Health Services Secretary, Dennis G. Smith, today launched a website that outlines initiatives designed to keep the state’s Medicaid program sustainable, fair and equitable. The site was developed in an effort to ensure that the cost savings measures are posted for the public to see prior to any formal submission of [...]

Dr. Brian D. Smedley Many state governors and legislatures want to trim Medicaid and other public programs in an effort to balance budgets. But cutting Medicaid to the bone won’t reduce the demand for health care, and it certainly won’t help people be healthy enough to contribute to an economic recovery. Instead, policymakers should make [...]

Increased access to health care services for children through the BadgerCare Plus program qualified Wisconsin for a federal bonus of $23.1 million for this year, federal officials announced today. The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) provides performance bonus payments to encourage states to enroll more uninsured Medicaid-eligible children and help offset [...]

By Suzanne Navin, Seven Oaks Last week, Governor Doyle delivered his final State of the State address and President Obama delivered his first State of the Union. In both speeches, job creation was deemed the key to an economic rebound. However, the state and nation’s job growth prospects are not limited to manufacturing and entrepreneurship. [...]

A decision by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to make changes to state health care programs in Southeast Wisconsin could adversely impact the local economy, affecting hundreds of jobs in Milwaukee. DHS announced in late July that they would terminate contracts with private companies involved in the BadgerCare and Medicaid programs effective at [...]