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BadgerCare Plus: Resources for Advocates and Policymakers

WCCF Material
Links to Department of Health and Family Services Resources
Other Useful Websites

WCCF Material

BadgerCare Plus: Who’s Eligible, for What, and at What Price? This WCCF paper describes who is eligible for BadgerCare Plus, what they are eligible for, and what their premiums are (updated August 16, 2011).

Major CHIPRA Provisions – Comments, Questions and Recommendations Relating to Wisconsin Implementation  -- The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) has given states additional funding and numerous policy options that can help protect and improve access to health insurance for children.  This issue brief summarizes and comments on the more significant CHIPRA provisions and what they mean for Wisconsin. It also identifies some of the remaining questions that need to be answered before advocates and state policy makers decide which additional CHIPRA options should be priorities for implementation in Wisconsin (Updated July 8, 2010).

Immigrants and BadgerCare Plus –This short fact sheet answers questions about the eligibility of immigrants for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid.  It was originally prepared by the Department of Health Services and was updated by WCCF to reflect the expansion of coverage to certain lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women (February 13, 2010).

Sorting Out Which Immigrant Groups Are Eligible for BadgerCare Plus – This short paper examines which immigrant groups are and aren’t affected by Wisconsin’s implementation of the option to allow lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant immigrants to participate in BadgerCare Plus. It notes that there is still some uncertainty about whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will allow certain additional categories of immigrants to be covered (February 12, 2010).

Improving Health Care for Pregnant Immigrants in Wisconsin – This paper examines the implications of lifting the 5-year bar on eligibility for certain pregnant immigrants, which has the effect of moving these women from BadgerCare Plus Prenatal to full BadgerCare Plus coverage.  It also briefly examines how the new federal CHIP law may enable the state to increase the federal share of the costs it is already incurring for births by immigrants, and how that law can ensure that all immigrant women have access to postpartum services (October 26, 2009).   

New Opportunities to Protect and Improve BadgerCare Plus – This paper reviews the opportunities for Wisconsin to improve BadgerCare Plus and capture additional federal funding by utilizing options presented in the Children’s’ Health Program Reauthorization Act” (July 17, 2009).

Health Insurance Coverage of Childless Adults Scheduled to Begin in July – Wisconsin starts taking applications on June 15 for the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan – a basic health insurance plan for low-income childless adults. Coverage begins after July 15. This paper summarizes the plan, examines the gap in coverage it fills, and explains why the state is proceeding with the long-awaited coverage, despite the recession (June 4, 2009).

BadgerCare Plus: Coverage of Childless Adults – The budget repair bill signed into law on February 19, 2009, contains funding to allow the state to proceed with plans to offer basic health insurance coverage for low-income adults without dependent children, beginning on July 1, 2009. We have updated this short paper, which describes the need for coverage of childless adults, provides a short summary of the new coverage, and contains links to other resources. (March 3, 2009).

"Providing Health Coverage for All Kids in Wisconsin:  The New BadgerCare Plus Law"– This brief paper provides a 2-page summary of the new BadgerCare Plus law and also includes a diagram showing the new categories of coverage.

"Expanding Access to Health Care in Wisconsin: An Outline of the New BadgerCare Plus Law" - This document outlines the strengths and weaknesses of the BadgerCare Plus initiative, explains how it increases eligibility, summarizes how it improves enrollment of children and parents who were already eligible, describes the financing and other program elements, and reviews the ongoing work and challenges that lie ahead (February 12, 2008). 

“Clearing up the Confusion Surrounding CMS Approval of BadgerCare Plus” – This paper examines federal policy changes restricting the use of CHIP and Medicaid funds and their effect on the BadgerCare Plus initiative (January 10, 2008).

Tables for Annual, Monthly and Hourly Earnings at Various Percentages of FPL – These tables show the 2008 federal poverty level for different sized families, and translate the annual poverty level figures into monthly and hourly amounts (February 2008).

"Is Providing Health Insurance for More Kids Fiscally Responsible?"– A short “by the numbers” fact sheet on the costs and benefits of expanding access to health insurance for children (Updated January 2008).

"Unintended Consequences: The Effects of Medicaid Documentation Requirements in Wisconsin" – This short paper summarizes and updates the data in our January 2007 analysis of the effects of federal documentation requirements for Medicaid on program participation in Wisconsin (Updated Summary - January 28, 2008).

"The Badger Care Plus Plan: Who Would Be Affected?" – This brief summary includes a matrix showing the new groups covered by BadgerCare Plus, and preliminary DHFS estimates of the number of people in each category who might benefit (March 16, 2007).

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Links to Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) Resources

Common Questions – This DHFS webpage provides a good overview of BC+

DHFS BadgerCare Plus Homepage – This page provides a wide range of information about BadgerCare Plus, including a description of benefits, and material for groups interested in becoming community partners who do express enrollment.

BadgerCare + Eligibility Handbook – If you’re a real glutton for detailed information about BadgerCare +, see this very comprehensive (and very long) policy handbook, which was prepared by DHFS for local county/tribal agency Income Maintenance workers who determine eligibility and issue benefits.

BadgerCare Plus Forms (by Title) – This page provides a long list (in alphabetical order) of all the different forms related to BadgerCare Plus.

Immigrants and BadgerCare Plus – This one page fact sheet answers questions about the eligibility of immigrants for BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid.  It was originally prepared by the Department of Health Services and was updated by WCCF to reflect the expansion of coverage to certain lawfully residing immigrant children and pregnant women (October 19, 2009).

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Other Useful Websites  

ABC for Health - HealthWatch – ABC for Health has developed a 3-Steps Kit that serves as a guide to acquiring, using, and keeping public benefits.  You can find it on the HealthWatch webpage at: http://www.safetyweb.org/healthwatchwi/publications.htm  

Covering Kids and Families - Wisconsin – CKF-WI is a coalition of more than 65 organizations committed to reducing the number of uninsured children and families in Wisconsin by making sure those who are eligible for BadgerCare Plus know about and can easily enroll in the programs for which they qualify.

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