Changes to Children Being on Medicaid Programs Even if Family's Income Changes

Monday, January 8th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Hope Kirwan, Wisconsin Public Radio) Wisconsin children will now be able to keep their health insurance through Medicaid programs for a year even if their family's income changes.

According to Hope Kirwan with Wisconsin Public Radio, the federally-directed policy change means kids who qualify for BadgerCare Plus or other Medicaid programs will maintain their coverage for 12 months, regardless of whether their family's eligibility changes.

Bill Hanna, Medicaid director at the state Department of Health Services, said continuous coverage for all Medicaid members during the COVID-19 pandemic caused the rate of uninsured children in the United States to fall to unprecedented levels.

He said that led federal lawmakers to approve the 12-month coverage for kids at the end of 2022. "We know that there's churn in Medicaid, especially when you look pre-pandemic, with families and kids coming on Medicaid, going off Medicaid," he said.

"Continuous coverage improves health for these kids. It ensures that they're getting their well-child visits, they're getting their vaccines and immunizations, and there isn't a disruption in service."

The policy change comes as Wisconsin works through restarting annual renewals for Medicaid, a year-long process referred to as Unwinding that started in June. Data from the state Department of Health Services shows that as of November, just over 12 percent of all Medicaid recipients in the state had their coverage ended.

Prior to the start of Unwinding, total enrollment hit an all-time high in May at 1.68 million members. Around 12 percent of total children in the BadgerCare Plus program had their coverage end between June and November, with around 540,000 children in the state enrolled at the end of that month.

That's 68,000 fewer kids than the total in April but still 93,000 more children than the average total enrollment before the pandemic.

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