Efforts to promote the state's BadgerCare Plus program are paying off.
A version of the program expanding coverage to all children in the state launched in early February . Department of Health Services Secretary Karen Timberlake says the response so far has been overwhelming, with over 77,000 people signed up in the last month. Of those, over 50,000 are children.
Timberlake says growing enrollment is the result of efforts to make the program more visible around the state. The Department has been working in schools, community centers, and other family oriented locations to inform people about BadgerCare Plus eligibility.
Timberlake says the state has also been able to reach a lot of people who qualified for the program even before the expansion, but did not know it. She says nearly 80-percent qualified under the old rules, but just didn't know it was available to them.
The Department is focusing on efforts to make sure all uninsured children are signed up for the program. Governor Doyle has also said he wants to further expand the program.
