State lawmakers have approved expansion of the popular Family Care program. Joint Finance Committee co-chair, Marinette Republican Representative John Nygren, said the expansion into seven counties in northeastern Wisconsin comes despite concerns over cost.
“From the beginning, there was a concern that’s been raised – and I think a somewhat legitimate concern – about the growth the Family Care, the growth of the Medicaid budget, and our ability to be able to afford these programs for the elderly and the disabled long-term,” Nygren said.
But Nygren and Representative John Klenke of Green Bay both saw the expansion as a matter of equity. “It’s an equity issue for the people that we represent to be able to have the same level of services that the vast majority of the remainder of our state has,” said Nygren.
The finance committee vote was unanimous. Family Care provides long-term care to the elderly and persons with disabilities through managed care organizations. It’s now available in 57 of the state’s 72 counties.