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 WANT 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 CAUSES 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 BROAD REPUBLICAN
SUPPORT AND IT HAS BROAD SUPPORT
OVERALL.
WE HAVE 66 CO-SPONSORS 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