{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221042748/http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/us-senator-tammy-baldwin-offers-solutions-to-governor-walker-on-his-plan-to-move-wisconsinites-off-badgercare-and-into-aca-marketplace", "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Offers Solutions to Governor Walker on his Plan to Move Wisconsinites off BadgerCare and Into ACA Marketplace", "2013-11-12", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "WI", "Tammy Baldwin", "B001230", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Offers Solutions to Governor Walker on his Plan to Move Wisconsinites off BadgerCare and Into ACA Marketplace\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTuesday, November 12, 2013\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWashington D.C. \u2013 As a result of Governor Scott Walker\u2019s decision to reject an opportunity to strengthen Wisconsin\u2019s BadgerCare program through a federal partnership and investment, an estimated 77,000 Wisconsinites will lose their health insurance coverage on January 1, 2014 unless they enroll in the federal Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by December 15.\nToday, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin sent a letter to Governor Scott Walker raising concerns about Walker\u2019s current plan and offered solutions \u201cto ensure our constituents maintain the health coverage they need\u201d.\nIn the letter Senator Baldwin writes, \u201cYour current outreach plan calls for residents who will lose their BadgerCare coverage to receive final notice at the end of November, leaving them just two weeks to enroll or they will lose coverage on January 1.\u00a0 Given the state\u2019s current timeline for direct outreach to these individuals, the major issues with the federal government\u2019s ACA website, and the fast-approaching deadline, thousands of people are at risk of losing their coverage.\u201d\nSenator Baldwin also offers a number of solutions that the Walker Administration could pursue, including altering their current request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services so that BadgerCare enrollees maintain their current coverage through the end of March.\n\u201cSuch a change would extend the deadline that BadgerCare enrollees face today to ensure uninterrupted health security from December 15, 2013 and align it with the deadline for open enrollment on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace - March 31, 2014,\u201d Baldwin said, \u201cTo me, this is a common sense solution that will ensure that individuals receiving BadgerCare today will not lose coverage on January 1, 2014.\u00a0 This solution would give the people we work for more time to enroll, gain access to ACA premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies, and eliminate the risk of lost coverage on January 1.\u201d\u00a0\nBaldwin also encourages Walker to fully expand BadgerCare under the Affordable Care Act - at no cost to the State of Wisconsin - temporarily until March 31, 2014.\u00a0\n\u201cSuch changes would provide the state with a 100 percent federal match for all newly-eligible BadgerCare enrollees. These cost savings would allow you to offset any additional costs of continuing BadgerCare coverage for current enrollees through the end of open enrollment,\u201d Baldwin said. \u00a0\nWisconsin Health Care Leaders Praise Senator Baldwin\u2019s Solutions\n\u201cMany Wisconsinites who will be forced to transition from BadgerCare to insurance via the health marketplace simply won\u2019t have the time to do so, and will instead become uninsured. Wisconsin should adopt the common sense interim solutions proposed by Senator Baldwin, which will provide more time for those making this difficult transition. The Senator\u2019s plan will also help achieve the Governor\u2019s commitment to cutting Wisconsin\u2019s uninsured rate in half. \u201d \u2013 David Riemer, Senior Fellow, Community Advocates Public Policy Institute\n\"We are extremely concerned that the timeline for Wisconsin's changes in BadgerCare will needlessly disrupt essential health coverage for tens of thousands of moderate income Wisconsin families. Senator Baldwin is offering practical and common sense solutions which Governor Walker ought to adopt. Senator Baldwin's proposals would give Wisconsinites who are losing BadgerCare coverage the reasonable time they need to enroll in new federal options under the Affordable Care Act.\" \u2013 Robert Kraig, Executive Director, Citizen Action of Wisconsin\n\u201cDelaying the abrupt termination of people from BadgerCare isn\u2019t just a matter of fairness for those families.\u00a0By helping avoid a huge logjam of applications in early December, Senator Baldwin\u2019s recommendations could improve the enrollment process for all who apply for insurance through the new marketplace.\u201d \u2013 Jon Peacock Research Director, Wisconsin Council on Children and Families\nThe text of the letter can be found below.\nClick here to download the letter.\n\u00a0\nNovember 12, 2013\nThe Honorable Scott Walker   Governor of Wisconsin\n115 East Capitol   Madison, WI 53702\nDear Governor Walker,\nI am writing in regards to the health care coverage of the 77,000 low-income, working Wisconsin residents whose health coverage expires on January 1, 2014.\u00a0\u00a0 As a result of your decision to move these individuals off of BadgerCare, these citizens must be enrolled in the federal Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by December 15 in order to prevent a lapse in coverage at the start of the new year.\u00a0 Your current outreach plan calls for residents who will lose their BadgerCare coverage to receive final notice at the end of November, leaving them just two weeks to enroll or they will lose coverage on January 1.\u00a0 Given the state\u2019s current timeline for direct outreach to these individuals, the major issues with the federal government\u2019s ACA website, and the fast-approaching deadline, thousands of people are at risk of losing their coverage.\u00a0 Therefore, I am writing to raise this concern and to offer potential options in the hope that we can work together to ensure our constituents maintain the health coverage they need.\u00a0\nOver the past year, I have written to you on a number of occasions regarding the ACA and I have had an opportunity to meet with representatives from the Department of Health Services and the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.\u00a0 First, I urged you to build a Wisconsin-made, state-based Health Insurance Marketplace for individuals and small businesses.\u00a0 Instead, you chose to rely on the federal government\u2019s website.\u00a0 Second, I urged you to seize the opportunity to accept a federal partnership and investment to strengthen our BadgerCare program by expanding Medicaid under the ACA. Our Midwestern neighbors have widely accepted these opportunities. Governors from both parties in Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota are supporting the ACA\u2019s Medicaid expansion. Instead, you chose to make Wisconsin one of just two states in the nation that are set to kick a large number of individuals off their current Medicaid coverage in 2014. While you have not taken our state down the strongest path, I am committed to working with you to ensure these 77,000 BadgerCare recipients do not lose health coverage on January 1.\nMy most recent letter to you outlined problems with the state\u2019s outreach to individuals losing their BadgerCare.\u00a0 Since then, the state has made positive improvements, including making phone calls to affected families. I commend you for taking this positive step, yet reaching all of these individuals in a timely manner remains a significant challenge.\u00a0 Furthermore, these residents must enroll through the federal ACA enrollment program and website\u2014www.healthcare.gov\u2014which has been plagued with problems.\u00a0 I am deeply disappointed and extremely frustrated with the website.\u00a0 While, the Administration has vowed to fix it as soon as possible, I have called on the Obama Administration to redouble its efforts to ensure that all Wisconsin residents, including the 77,000 BadgerCare recipients facing the December 15 enrollment deadline, have access to coverage through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace.\u00a0\nBecause of the transition issues and the fast-approaching December 15 deadline, I am offering a few solutions that you could pursue to help solve this problem.\u00a0\u00a0 First, I would urge you to alter your current request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services so that BadgerCare enrollees maintain their current coverage through the end of March. Such a change would extend the deadline that BadgerCare enrollees face today to ensure uninterrupted health security from December 15, 2013 and align it with the deadline for open enrollment on the federal Health Insurance Marketplace\u2014March 31, 2014.\u00a0 To me, this is a common sense solution that will ensure that individuals receiving BadgerCare today will not lose coverage on January 1, 2014.\u00a0 This solution would give the people we work for more time to enroll, gain access to ACA premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies, and eliminate the risk of lost coverage on January 1.\u00a0\nIn addition, you could choose to fully expand BadgerCare under the Affordable Care Act\u2014at no cost to the State of Wisconsin\u2014temporarily until March 31, 2014.\u00a0 Such changes would provide the state with a 100 percent federal match for all newly-eligible BadgerCare enrollees.\u00a0 These cost savings would allow you to offset any additional costs of continuing BadgerCare coverage for current enrollees through the end of open enrollment. \u00a0\nI remain committed to working with you and the Obama Administration to ensure that the ACA works for Wisconsin and fixing what does not.\u00a0 I ask that you strongly consider these solutions and I look forward to working together on this shared responsibility.\nSincerely,\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin\nCc: The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221042748/http://www.baldwin.senate.gov/press-releases/us-senator-tammy-baldwin-offers-solutions-to-governor-walker-on-his-plan-to-move-wisconsinites-off-badgercare-and-into-aca-marketplace"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.7707749977707863, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}