N. WISCONSIN - New report show that 1 in 3 kids in rural Wisconsin especially in Northern Wisconsin are insured by Medicaid and cuts to the program could be on the way. As Congress considers cuts to Medicaid, a new report shows one in three children living in rural areas of Wisconsin are insured by the health insurance program. The nationwide study from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families used census data to compare how many people living in rural areas are insured by Medicaid. William Park Sutherland with Kids Forward explains northern Wisconsin counties above Highway 29 have higher-than-average rates of children enrolled.
:13 "I think we really are leveraging our future by targeting a program that not only, but one of its most important roles is protecting the health of kids in small towns and rural areas and large cities. Tag: He adds potential cuts will make it harder for healthcare providers, hospitals and health systems to continue to provide care, especially in rural communities where significantly higher barriers to care already exist.
Second Cut: About 1-point-5 million Wisconsinites are insured through BadgerCare - the state Medicaid program. It makes up about 26-percent of the state budget providing healthcare coverage for low-income residents from birth to age 64.
:18 "There’s just no way to cut out this much of the program, right, $2 trillion and not hurt children, and not hurt seniors, and not hurt people with disabilities who depend on Medicaid, along with parents and caregivers. "
Tag: He says cuts would also risk increasing the number of uninsured people, up the amount of medical debt and financial insecurity in the state and potentially deter people from seeking care. Wisconsin is one of ten states that has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. A Wisconsin Policy Forum study shows the state could save 1-point-seven billion dollars over the next two years if it did.
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