Northern Wisconsinites Demand BadgerCare Expansion Print
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Written by Citizen Action of Wisconsin Press   
Wednesday, 26 April 2023 14:17

caw-minocqua-public-hearing-2023Healthcare advocacy group turns out at the final Joint Finance Committee public budget hearing Wednesday in Minocqua.


Minocqua: Citizen Action of Wisconsin members from Northern Wisconsin came out in force to advocate for BadgerCare Expansion at the final Joint Finance Committee public budget hearing today. They also participated in a pre-hearing press conference sponsored by Citizen Action.

Governor Evers’ proposal to expand BadgerCare would close a critical health care coverage gap for nearly 90,000 Wisconites near the poverty line, bringing in over $2 billion in additional federal health care investments. It would also save the state $1.6 billion in General Purpose Revenue, which could be used for local public schools, shared revenue for underfunded counties, cities, and towns, child care, and other priorities.

Peggy McDowell, a Citizen Action member from Tomahawk, told her own BadgerCare Expansion story, resulting in spontaneous applause for her testimony. Due to Wisconsin’s failure to Expand BadgerCare, after 47 years of marriage Peggy was forced to divorce her husband to become eligible for coverage. Peggy and her husband called it “living in sin for the win.” Peggy told the committee she knows other women with breast cancer who have been forced to do the same in order to have coverage to support chemotherapy.

robert_kraig“Wisconsin is now one of only ten states to turn down Medicaid Expansion, and the only one that pays billions more to cover fewer people,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action. “It is long overdue for Wisconsin to close the critical health care gap that needlessly denies coverage to nearly 90,000 Wisconsinites.”

Citizen Action member Vic Verma who lives in Kaukauna, talked about the experience of being denied Medicaid when he was uninsured:“Everybody should have the peace of mind” that if a health crisis happens, they can receive care without facing bankruptcy.

kristina-sheltonRep. Kristina Shelton (D-Green Bay), also a longtime member of Citizen Action, spoke at the press conference before the hearing: ”I call the Governor’s budget the ‘people’s budget’ because it was birthed from the Wisconsin people.,” Shelton said. Governor Evers was “reelected by the people of this state because he went around Wisconsin and held listening sessions” where he found that people wanted “simple things like health care.”

Last Updated on Wednesday, 26 April 2023 14:40