Scott Walker’s BadgerCare plan comes with a price tag of $119 million — $73.5 million more than originally thought — and covers 85,000 fewer Wisconsinites than a full expansion of Medicaid, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
In a report released ahead of tomorrow’s Joint Finance Committee action on Medicaid, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau says that Walker’s proposal relied on “unreasonably optimistic” estimates, and that the plan would actually cost $73.5 million more than originally thought.
LFB also notes that a full expansion of Medicaid would cover 85,000 more Wisconsinites, and previously estimated that a full Medicaid expansion would create 10,000 new healthcare jobs in Wisconsin.
“Expanding healthcare coverage to 85,000 more Wisconsinites at a lower cost to taxpayers should be the easiest decision Scott Walker has ever had to make as governor,” Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Mike Tate said Monday. “But instead, as he curries favor with extremists in his Tea Party run for president, Scott Walker is advocating a healthcare plan that covers fewer people and costs $119 million. I won’t hold my breath, but there is still time for Scott Walker to do what’s right for Wisconsinites, not what’s right for his presidential campaign.”
Read the Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo here.
