The Governor is calling on Congress to approve a $24 billion Medicaid bailout program.
The U.S. House recently voted against the program, which provides matching dollars for Medicaid programs. Governor Jim Doyle warns jobs cuts will be coming if it’s not brought back, since most of the money is passed directly on to reimburse providers.
Doyle says demand for Medicaid-funded services has jumped by 26-percent recently, largely because of the prolonged recession. He says that should be enough evidence to show Congress that the matching funds continue through at least next June.
If the program is not extended, Wisconsin would lose about $300 million.
Many states have incorporated the funding in their state budgets, although Wisconsin is not among them because it was initially approved after the state’s biennial budget was passed. Still, Doyle says many are counting on it being there and Wisconsin will face pressure if it doesn’t come in.
