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No.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services estimates that about 90,000 people would become eligible for BadgerCare Plus coverage through Medicaid expansion. 

In its 2023-25 biennial budget request, the department projected that “adopting the full expansion eligibility limits” would enroll an additional 61,100 parents and 28,600 adults without children.

Previous estimates projected about 120,000 more Wisconsinites would be enrolled, including a 2020 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report.

Wisconsin is among 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage to 138% of the federal poverty level, which brings in additional federal matching funding. 

Gov. Tony Evers and Democrats have tried expanding Medicaid multiple times, including through the last budget and a special legislative session. Republicans have blocked the effort. 

A 2021 estimate by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that Wisconsin would have saved over $1 billion in 2021-23 by expanding Medicaid, when the federal government temporarily increased the matching rate.

Sources

DocumentCloud: State Agency Major Request Items: Full Medicaid Expansion

DocumentCloud: Table 2 Medicaid Enrollment in Non-expansion States, Assuming No Pandemic, 2020

thewheelerreport.com: Estimate of Medicaid Expansion Incentive Funding Under American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Commonwealth Fund: Where Do the States Stand on Medicaid Expansion?

AP News: Gov. Evers calls special session on Medicaid expansion

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Hope Karnopp / Wisconsin WatchReporting intern

Hope Karnopp joined Wisconsin Watch as a reporting intern in May 2022. She is a journalism major and is pursuing certificates in public policy and environmental studies at UW-Madison. Hope previously covered state politics as an intern for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She also works with the Daily Cardinal and hosts a radio segment about campus news for WORT-FM, which has been recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club.