New Report Find Medicaid Expansion Would Save Wisconsin $1.7 Billion Over the Next Two Years

Friday, September 27th, 2024 -- 10:01 AM

(Anya van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin, a topic of frequent partisan battles in the state Legislature, would save the state some $1.7 billion over the next two years, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

According to Anya van Wagtendonk with Wisconsin Public Radio, the study finds that, because of the amount of state tax money that currently goes toward public health insurance for low-income people, expanding Medicaid through the federal Affordable Care Act would save money while shifting some eligible Wisconsinites into better coverage options.

At the same time, however, health care providers and insurers would no longer benefit from ACA tax credits, and some providers could see their reimbursements reduced if Medicaid-eligible Wisconsinites shift from private, marketplace plans into the all-public Medicaid system.

Wisconsin is one of 10 states that has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA, and is considered the bluest state to avoid expansion. The topic has long been a source of partisan battles in Wisconsin.

Democrats, including Gov. Tony Evers, have advocated for it, while Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has said he will never support it. If Wisconsin were to expand Medicaid, the study finds, up to about 90,000 Wisconsinites could be affected, the lowest number of new enrollees of the 10 non-expanded states.

That’s partly because about half of all Medicaid-eligible Wisconsinites already have coverage. The study suggests that some portion of the savings could go toward increasing Medicaid reimbursement for providers.

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