% I'M ZAC SCHULTZ FOR "HERE AND
% NOW."
% >> REPUBLICAN AUTHORED BILL WITH
% A NUMBER OF CO-SPONSORS ON BOTH
% SIDES OF THE AISLE WOULD EXPAND
% POSTPARTUM MEDICAID COVERAGE
% FROM TWO MONTHS TO A FULL YEAR.
% UNDER CURRENT STATE LAW, MEDICAL
% ASSISTANCE, KNOWN AS BADGER CARE
% IN WISCONSIN, IS AVAILABLE TO
% THOSE WITH AN INCOME UP TO 300%
% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.
% THIS BILL, IF PASSED, WOULD SEEK
% PERMISSION FROM THE FEDERAL
% GOVERNMENT TO EXPAND THE SAME
% COVERAGE FOR 10 ADDITIONAL
% MONTHS.
% HERE AND NOW PRODUCER MARISA
% WOJCIK SPOKE WITH MAJORITY
% CAUCUSES VICE CHAIRMAN JOAN
% BALLWEG TO LEARN MORE.
% >> THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS.
% >> HAPPY TO BE WITH YOU.
% >> I FIRST WANT TO ASK, WHY IS
% IT NECESSARY TO EXPAND MEDICAID
% BENEFITS TO POSTPARTUM MOTHERS
% UP TO A YEAR AFTER GIVING BIRTH?
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% SO WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE
% ADVOCATES FOR THAT POPULATION OF
% FOLKS IS THAT THE CONTINUITY OF
% CARE IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE
% REALLY CONCERNED WITH.
% MANY TIMES THROUGH PREGNANCY,
% THERE ARE HEALTH CONDITIONS THAT
% INDIVIDUALS MAY SEE ARE
% EXACERBATED DURING THEIR
% PREGNANCY AND SO WE WANT TO
% CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE FOLKS
% MONITORED AND THOSE CHANGES
% DON'T NECESSARILY GO AWAY AFTER
% 60 DAYS, WHICH IS WHAT CURRENT
% STATE LAW IS.
% ALSO, THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT
% CAN COME UP A LITTLE BIT LATER
% THAT ARE NEVER USUALLY IN THE
% FIRST 60 DAYS, SUCH AS
% DEPRESSION ISSUES, WHICH MANY
% TIMES AREN'T POPPING UP UNTIL
% EITHER THREE TO SIX MONTHS
% LATER.%THE OTHER THING WE WAN
T TO MAKE
% SURE IS THIS YOUNGSTER IS
% GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START
% BECAUSE THEY'RE BEING COVERED BY
% THAT FIRST YEAR.
% SO WE DON'T WANT NEW MOTHERS TO
% HAVE THE STRESS OF HAVING TO
% FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONTINUE THEIR
% CARE IF THEY ARE NO LONGER
% COVERED.%AND SO IT JUST CAUSE
S ADDITIONAL
% STRESS FOR THAT CARE AND WE WANT
% TO HAVE NEW MOMS IN THEIR FIRST
% YEAR TO BE THE BEST POSSIBLE
% PARENTS AND BE ABLE TO FOCUS ON
% THAT LITTLE PERSON.
% >> AND WHAT KIND OF BENEFITS
% WILL THIS GIVE BOTH PREGNANT AND
% POSTPARTUM MOTHERS?
% >> WELL, IT WILL MAKE ANY
% CHANGES FOR PREGNANT WOMEN OR
% THE FIRST 60 DAYS.
% BECAUSE IN WISCONSIN, WE DO HAVE
% A PRETTY RICH BENEFIT WITH
% COVERAGE OF 306% OF THE FEDERAL
% POVERTY LIMIT.
% YOU GO PAST THE 60 DAYS, THEN IT
% WOULD FALL BACK TO WHAT
% EVERYBODY ELSE IS AT 100%.
% SO WE HAVE THIS MORE GENEROUS
% MEANS OF TAKING CARE OF OUR
% POSTPARTUM MOMS.
% SO THAT WOULD BE THE BIGGEST
% DIFFERENCE SO THAT THEY WOULD BE
% ABLE TO CONTINUE WITH THE
% HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND THE
% PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAD SET UP
% DURING THE PREGNANCY AND NEXT
% COUPLE OF MONTHS POSTPARTUM.
% >> WISCONSIN REPUBLICANS
% GENERALLY HAVE NOT BEEN IN FAVOR
% OF ANY MEDICAID EXPANSION,
% TALKING ABOUT GROWING
% ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS.
% DOES THIS HAVE BROAD REPUBLICAN
% SUPPORT IN THE SENATE AND
% ASSEMBLY?%>> IT DOES HAVE BR
OAD REPUBLICAN
% SUPPORT AND IT HAS BROAD SUPPORT
% OVERALL.%WE HAVE 66 CO-SPONSO
RS TO OUR
% LEGISLATION THIS YEAR.
% I THINK THIS HAS BEEN A BIT OF A
% LEARNING CURVE FOR SOME OF OUR
% MEMBERS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT
% RELATIONSHIP IS AND HOW THIS CAN
% STRENGTHEN FAMILIES.
% IT'S SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN
% WORKING ON FOR MOST OF THE YEARS
% THAT I'VE BEEN IN THE
% LEGISLATURE, STRENGTHENING
% FAMILIES, STRENGTHENING THAT
% BOND, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE
% BEGINNING YEARS OF A CHILD'S
% DEVELOPMENT ARE SO IMPORTANT
% MOVING FORWARD.
% WE HAVE A VERY BROAD COALITION
% OF SPONSORS FROM NOT ONLY
% LEGISLATURE, FROM SPONSORSHIP
% AROUND WISCONSIN.
% IT'S JUST A VERY WIDE GROUP OF
% FOLKS THAT HAVE REALLY COME TO
% UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
% LONG-TERM CARE OF MOMS.
% >> AND UNITED STATES AND
% WISCONSIN ARE NOT DOING A GREAT
% JOB WHEN IT COMES TO MATERNAL
% HEALTH.%THERE WAS JUST A NEW
C.D.C.
% REPORT THAT CAME OUT THAT UNITED
% STATES IS EVEN FALLING FARTHER
% BEHIND WHEN IT COMES TO
% DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, AND
% WISCONSIN IS IN THE SAME
% CONDITION.
% SO I THINK PEOPLE ARE STARTING
% TO REALIZE THAT IT'S TIME TO
% PROVIDE THIS HELP.
% >> THAT C.D.C. REPORT CAME OUT
% RECENTLY BUT SHOWED THAT IN
% 2021, THE UNITED STATES SAW THE
% WORST MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES
% IN THE COUNTRY'S HISTORY.
% SO WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO SEEK
% ABORTIONS FOR THE HEALTH OF THE
% MOTHER IN WISCONSIN, IS THIS
% LEGISLATION ENOUGH TO TAKE ON
% THESE SIGNIFICANT MORTALITY
% RATES?%>> WELL, WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT
% MORTALITY RATES FOR NEW MOMS,
% FOR PEOPLE THAT HAVE GONE
% THROUGH PREGNANCY, AND THAT'S
% OUR FOCUS.
% SO FOR THESE BABIES THAT ARE
% COMING ALONG, HOW DO WE KEEP
% THEIR FAMILIES STRONG?
% HOW DO WE KEEP MOM IN THE BEST
% HEALTH MEANS AS POSSIBLE MOVING
% FORWARD, AND TO AVOID SOME OF
% THOSE ISSUES THAT MAY HAVE BEEN
% EXACERBATED BY THE PREGNANCY:
% HYPERTENSION, CARDIAC ISSUES,
% ALL OF THOSE KINDS OF THINGS.
% WE HAVE WOMEN NOWADAYS THAT ARE
% INTERESTED IN STARTING THEIR
% FAMILIES A LITTLE BIT LATER IN
% LIFE THAN MAYBE WE HAVE BEFORE
% AND, OF COURSE, THOSE ARE FOLKS
% THAT HAVE MORE EXPERIENCE IN
% LIFE AND MAYBE HAVE A LITTLE BIT
% MORE HEALTH CONCERNS ALONG THE
% WAY, SO I THINK WE NEED ALL WE
% CAN DO TO SUPPORT THOSE FOLKS.
% >> WHAT DO YOU SAY TO YOUR
% REPUBLICAN COLLEAGUES WHO AREN'T
% ON BOARD WITH THIS?
% >> MMM.
% WELL, THE NUMBER ONE THING I TRY
% TO POINT OUT IS THAT WE ARE
% PRO-LIFE, WE DO SEE THAT WE WANT
% TO SUPPORT NEW FAMILIES,
% ENCOURAGE FOLKS THAT WANT TO
% BUILD THEIR FAMILIES, AND HOW DO
% WE DO THAT IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY?
% BE ABLE TO HELP THOSE FOLKS THAT
% ARE A LITTLE BIT LOWER ON THE
% ECONOMIC STRATA, TO PROVIDE THEM
% WITH SOME HELP THAT THEY CAN
% GROW THEIR FAMILIES, GROW THEIR
% FINANCIAL SUPPORT, YOU KNOW,
% MOVING FORWARD.
% SO THIS IS A GOOD THING OVERALL
% FOR WISCONSIN, FOR FAMILIES.
% I JUST THINK IT'S THE RIGHT
% THING TO DO.
% >> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
% ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN, VISIT
% OUR WEBSITE AT PBS WISCONSIN