The public can learn more about health care changes and offer input.
Wisconsin’s health department will hold town hall meetings in the state as part of the submission process for a new BadgerCare Plus demonstration project waiver. Kevin Moore is deputy secretary of the Department of Health Services. He says, “The town hall meetings are just a part of the overall process in achieving the governor’s objective of cutting the uninsured rate in half. Particularly, the town halls are focusing on the childless adult population that the governor is going to cover up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level.”
Moore says the waiver is part of Governor Scott Walker’s entitlement reform initiative, aimed at providing access to affordable healthcare. Walker’s plan was approved and signed into law on June 30th as part of the new two-year state budget, instead of a rejected expansion of Medicaid.
Implementation of the revamped BadgerCare Plus plan is scheduled for the same time the federal health insurance exchanges are implemented. “We are working … on that larger picture of how we’re going to help people transition from Medicaid into the marketplace that was, again, created under the Federal Affordable Care Act.”
The current waiver for the BadgerCare Plus Core plan for adults without dependent children expires at the end of this year. Following approval by the federal government, the new waiver will take effect on January 1, 2014.
Town hall meetings on the subject are scheduled to take place in Eau Claire (7/10), Milwaukee (7/11), and Green Bay (7/11).
Individuals who are unable to attend the public information sessions but would to provide a comment will be able to submit comments directly to the department by fax, email, regular mail or online. For more details visit the DHS website.
Eau Claire: Wednesday July 10, 2013 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Chippewa Valley Technical College
Milwaukee: Thursday July 11, 2013 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Radisson Milwaukee West
Green Bay: Thursday July 11, 2013 from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the Green Bay Kroc Center
