You
Nationally and
here in Wisconsin,
possible cuts to
the healthcare program
known as Medicaid
have sparked fear
in the low-income families,
elderly residents,
and people with disabilities
who depend on it.
At a public hearing in
West Dallas, lawmakers
on the state legislature's
Joint Finance Committee
heard from many about
why Medicaid needs to be
saved.
Medicaid programs
allow persons with
disabilities to live
the dignified life.
Medicaid really supports
a healthy Wisconsin.
We have about
half a million children
in Wisconsin
covered by Medicaid,
which is about a
third of Wisconsin's
kids.
People are going to
lose their insurance,
rural and low-income
hospitals will close,
and people will die.
Impassioned public
testimony on Medicaid
before the state
Budget Writing Committee,
and now the Congress
has passed its budget
blueprint.
Work begins in earnest
in Washington to enact
major tax cuts paid for
with sharp reductions
in federal programs
that could hit the
healthcare program.
As to Medicaid in Wisconsin,
we turn to Bobby Peterson,
Executive Director of
ABC for Health,
a nonprofit public
interest law firm helping
consumers navigate the
healthcare system
and Bobby,
nice to see you again.
Thanks for inviting me.
Thanks for
inviting me.
So one point that you really
want to make clear is
that cups to Medicaid
have not happened yet.
With that in mind,
what's your guidance?
Well, I think it's,
you know, don't panic,
but let your voice be heard.
I mean, Wisconsin,
people know that Medicaid
is a very important
program.
It covers one in five
people in our state,
so that's families,
friends, neighbors,
a lot of folks out there
that have a potentially
a potentially a
significant amount of
people in our state,
so that's families,
friends, neighbors,
a lot of folks out there
that have a potentially
affected by this.
But it hasn't changed yet,
and there's opportunities
to help influence the
process, hopefully make it
better, and to avoid some
of the serious issues
that we're concerned about
and worried about,
but I think we're going to
do our best to try and
stave them off.
So what kinds of coverage
does Medicaid represent?
It covers, you know,
long-term care for seniors,
it covers people with
disabilities, and it's
not just a problem.
It's not just a problem.
It's not a problem.
It's a problem.
It does affect disability.
It's a problem.
It's a problem, and it
covers a lot of kids on
Badger Care Plus, some
parents, childless adults.
So it's broad and wide,
and so I think if you, you
know, you're most of our
viewers will know someone
who is getting Medicaid
services.
This affects every corner
of the state.
Why are people
sounding the alarm
on potential cuts?
Is that overstated?
No, I think it's
important.
And even though it's
characterized, sometimes
we're not going to
cut the benefits.
You know, a lot of
the benefits. Just putting procedural hoops and hurdles in the path of people, we've seen
this before, we see it even now, and it could get worse. So bureaucratic red tape blockages
to coverage, just making it harder for people to navigate these systems without effective
strategies to help people through that system is the problem.
As you say, the Trump administration and GOP leaders say they will not cut Medicaid benefits.
They're going after waste, fraud, and abuse. But you were just talking about bureaucratic
red tape. What could they do around eligibility requirements or other things like that to
affect reductions?
Well, for example, they could put in work requirements for certain Medicaid programs,
and that it's just the process, the paperwork, getting through it, people that may be ill,
may not be able to work. Just going through that process deters people, knocks them off
to the side. They lose coverage, and they're not getting important health care and coverage
that they need, with a consequence of running up medical bills and medical debt, which is
something that we really want to try and avoid.
Now, Wisconsin, as you know, never expanded Medicaid, and expanded Medicaid, the feds gave
states 90% of those costs. Wisconsin never expanded it, so our share from the feds is
60%. But with any reductions to Medicaid, could it still blow up, you know, kind of the state
budget?
Sure. I mean, I think that it depends if what Wisconsin, how we react to it. But I think
for the most part, it's going to be a situation where people are going to face most of the
pain, not the budget as much, because I think a lot of folks out there are going to be deterred
from getting the care and services that they need. Their conditions will worsen, their
health will worsen, and their medical debt will accumulate.
So if there are cuts, what are the implications to even those not covered by Medicaid when
it comes to things like uncompensated care and hospitals, rural hospitals?
Sure. I mean, they're under stress already. Rural hospitals are under stress. We've seen
closures, rising levels of uncompensated care make it untenable for them to continue operations
in some levels, because it's just, you know, they're not meeting their bottom line and
they can't provide the services that they need.
Rural hospitals are in very thin margins, most of them. We know that in Wisconsin, in
2023, the last year that that data is available, there was $1.4 billion in uncompensated care.
That's a lot, but that's going to go up. And it's going to affect more people with
more bills and unpaid bills. It's going to affect hospitals with unpaid bills. It's
a system issue. And these are consequences of making Medicaid more difficult, more challenging,
more bureaucratic hoops, getting in the way of people that need the care and coverage,
and getting some of those bills paid.
And what does it mean, apart from uncompensated care to hospitals, to people who are not on
Medicaid, but otherwise covered by other health care for their friends?
Yeah, it's another one of the long-term effects. It's cost shifting. So if we think about, you
know, I mean, people talk sometimes about socialized medicine. I talk sometimes about
socialized medical debt. So if you think about all that debt that's unpaid, it doesn't just
go away, but it gets spread out in the system to everybody else. So we all have a price
to pay when people don't have adequate coverage, when hospitals can't get the bills paid.
And so it's an important issue for us all to think about. You don't have to say, well,
I'm not a Medicaid. I shouldn't worry. It's going to affect you at some level. And it's
going to affect a family, friend, or neighbor, most likely.
All right. Bobby Peterson, thanks very much.
You're welcome.
I'm longer than five. Not that you were great, but it just, I felt like the, I don't know,
maybe it's
probably 10 to 20 seconds over.
I get these time cubes, right? And the time cards just didn't, but maybe it's just me
this morning.
Yeah. Well, thanks for reporting on this issue. I think it's an important one. I think, you
know, it's going to, people, hopefully, you know, the takeaway message is going to be affecting
everyone in Wisconsin at some level.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, we will see what happens.
Yeah.
All right.
Yep.
Careful, especially on this diet.