Loading ...Walker Eschews Federal Money, Has Plan To Get More People Covered By Medicaid
On Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker announced that he won’t propose expanding Medicaid services in Wisconsin, joining other Republican governors who have decided to reject federal money for covering more low-income residents under the health care overhaul law.
Instead, Walker outlined a hybrid approach that would allow more adults into the state health program, which he said would help cut the state’s uninsured rate of 14 percent in half.
Walker told the Associated Press that he wants to have fewer people in the state who are uninsured, but said he also wants to have fewer people in the state who are dependent on government.
The AP reports that the decision came as a disappointment for the Obama administration and health care advocacy organizations, including Wisconsin hospitals, who had urged Walker to accept a broader expansion of the Medicaid program and take the billions of dollars in federal money that would come with it. Walker’s proposal would not add to spending for low-income residents, but he was increasing overall spending on Medicaid programs by about $650 million over two years.
