An analysis released yesterday by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) shows what has been long known: work reporting requirements would harm Wisconsinites. Using data from the U.S. Senate’s Joint Economic Committee, DHS has determined that if the budget reconciliation bill currently being considered by Congress passes:
● approximately 63,000 Wisconsinites would be at high risk of losing health insurance through Medicaid due to work reporting requirements, and
● Wisconsin taxpayers would pay $74.2 million annually to implement these requirements.
An overwhelming majority of individuals receiving health insurance through Medicaid are working at jobs that do not provide health insurance or cannot work due to a health condition. Work reporting requirements would force many of these individuals into a bureaucratic process of burdensome paperwork to maintain access to their health insurance, a process which has been shown in other states to result in loss of coverage rather than an increase in workforce participation. Work reporting requirements will not help Wisconsinites; in fact, they would actively do harm. DHS’ analysis helpfully breaks down the impact by county and congressional district.
In addition to the impact of work reporting requirements, the DHS analysis also identifies additional impacts of Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) provisions of the budget reconciliation bill which would significantly and negatively impact Wisconsinites, including:
● Making health insurance unaffordable to more than 110,000 Wisconsin families who access coverage through the health insurance marketplace
● Increasing medical debt for newly eligible Medicaid participants and uncompensated care for providers
● Preventing Wisconsin from drawing down more federal Medicaid funding to innovate its Medicaid programs
● Limiting Wisconsin’s ability to support hospital and provider payments
In short, continued analysis of the budget reconciliation bill shows in stark numbers what advocates have been saying: if this legislation passes, Wisconsin and Wisconsinites would pay – in state funding, in health care costs, and – for some members of our communities – in lives.
The Wisconsin Medicaid Coalition has approximately 300 participants from more than 150 entities, including counties, tribes, health care providers, advocates, and those representing impacted populations, concerned about the impact of major changes to Medicaid being considered at the federal level.
Contacts:
● Janet Zander, Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resources, Inc., janet.zander@gwaar.org
● Lisa Hassenstab, Disability Rights Wisconsin, lisah@drwi.org
● Tami Jackson, Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, Tamara.jackson@wisconsin.gov
● William Parke-Sutherland, Kids Forward, wparkesutherland@kidsforward.org
