The Wisconsin Senate is poised to pass a bill which provides no-frills state health insurance, after concerns from a member of the Democratic majority led Majority Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston) to send the bill back to committee earlier this week. State Senator Jim Sullivan (D-Wauwatosa) said the amended bill, dealing with the BadgerCare Plus Core Basic Plan will require the state Department of Health Services to confirm that those who sign up for the Basic plan are eligible for it and the Core plan, which has a waiting list of 22,000.
The Basic plan will provide generic drugs and limited hospital care for 130 dollars a month, which is expected to fund the plan along with a one million federal grant. Sullivan says his amendment will also address that, with additional reporting back to the legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance. “These are not tax dollars, this is supposed to be a self-funding program,” Sullivan said.
Cost issues forced the state had to suspend enrollment in the BadgerCare Plus Core plan for adults last fall. The Core plan is for those on the waiting list. The bill ran into problems on Tuesday when Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) said there were too many problems with funding, costs, and quality of coverage. Democrats think they can get the amended version passed today without her vote.
Bob Hague (1:15 MP3) AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:15 MP3)