Wisconsin elected officials remain divided on Obamacare
Movement to scrap ACA continues in pandemic
MADISON - The Affordable Care Act is back in the headlines, but Wisconsin’s elected officials remain as divided as ever over the issue, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act late last month just as counties across Wisconsin saw a bump in new coronavirus cases.
If the act, also called Obamacare, were to be repealed, some 20 million Americans could lose health coverage. Additionally, protections for people with preexisting health conditions would be put at risk.
Millions of individuals have lost their jobs because of the pandemic — and as a result some also lost their jobbased health coverage.
In Wisconsin, as in much of the country, the act has divided elected officials.
“It’s unfortunate that in the midst of a global pandemic Republicans are still working in earnest to take health care away from millions of Americans, including 2.4 million Wisconsinites who have preexisting conditions,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement. “Health care should not be a privilege afforded to the healthy and wealthy.”
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, RRochester, has said Evers’ plan to make health care more available in Wisconsin under the Affordable Care Act would amount to a “massive welfare expansion.” But he isn’t in full support of the Trump administration’s move to overturn the program.
“There are parts of the Affordable Care Act that have been good for our country,” Vos said in a statement. “Congress should work with the Trump administration to keep the positive provisions, like pre-existing condition protections.”
Republicans who control the Legislature have repeatedly blocked Evers’ plans to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. It was one of Evers’ top campaign issues and he has touted surveys that show 70% of the public supports it.
Expanding Medicaid would allow the state to insure more people and to have the federal government pick up more health care costs. State taxpayers have covered more than $1 billion in costs over the years that would have been paid for by the federal government if the state had expanded Medicaid.
“There are parts of the Affordable Care Act that have been good for our country. Congress should work with the Trump administration to keep the positive provisions, like pre-existing condition protections.” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos R-Rochester
Medicaid enrollment is up
From February to June, enrollment rose by nearly 85,000 for BadgerCare Plus, one of the state’s main Medicaid programs. That put enrollment at about 862,000.
For the same time frame last year, enrollment went up by about 6,000. An additional 195,498 Wisconsin residents are enrolled in the ACA’s individual market plans.
The increase is due in part to policies implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state Department of Health Services said.
For instance, no participants can be removed from state programs during a national public health emergency, unless they leave the state or decline benefits. So while new individuals are being added to BadgerCare Plus, very few are leaving.
Sina Wirts was laid off from her job of 15 years at a Poynette bar in early March. She lost her health insurance.
While she spent months waiting for her unemployment benefits to go through, she applied for BadgerCare Plus. Her application went through without hassle, calming some of her anxieties caused by the pandemic.
“I am almost 60 years old and have never seen anything like this,” Wirts said.
Now, she’s able to return to work, but business has been slow. She said she’s worried another shutdown will wipe out the bar — and her livelihood.
“(I’m) not sure how long I will be able to keep this health insurance. I used all my savings the last time,” Wirts said. “I am now saving every dime I can.”
Oklahoma shifts to expansion
Last week, Oklahoma voters approved expanding Medicaid to tens of thousands of low-income residents under the Affordable Care Act. The state is the first to amend its constitution to do so.
Oklahoma is similar to Wisconsin: both have Republican-controlled legislatures that have resisted Medicaid expansion for years.
But adopting such a plan here appears all but impossible. Republican lawmakers have fiercely opposed the idea and any attempt to change the Wisconsin Constitution would require their approval.
Democrats have a shot at taking over the U.S. Senate this fall, and if they do they could put more pressure on Wisconsin and other states to expand Medicaid.
Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill mostly on party lines that would reduce federal funding for Medicaid for states that hadn’t expanded their programs. The bill won’t advance in the Senate but could gain traction if the Democrats win the chamber this fall.
The measure is aimed at inducing states to expand Medicaid.