Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans square off over BadgerCare as Evers backs off plan to dissolve WEDC

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday he would plow ahead with plans to expand a health insurance program under Obamacare despite Republican opposition, but gave up on a campaign pledge to dissolve the state`s economic development agency.

...BadgerCare Plus is a Medicaid program that provides health insurance to low-income people using state and federal money.

Wisconsin offers BadgerCare to people at the federal poverty level. Evers wants to use a provision of the Affordable Care Act to make it available to those making up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

If the state were to do that, the federal government would pick up a much larger share of Wisconsin`s costs for BadgerCare, freeing up about $280 million over two years, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau...

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This is the State Employee Plan Ken refers to in his notes...

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Ken Notes: I want to look at this before we just say no! Also if we want to move in the direction of a stronger State Health care plan, we should place all public employees into the State health care plan in place now. Pay for it and thus remove health care from the negotiating table. We would save money, level the negotiating playing field, and demonstrate how a good health care plan should operate. All insurers and providers get to play, you CAN KEEP your current plan, State funds most affordable option, the process keeps all plans competitive. When and only when we get our own house in order, we can offer the same program to the private sector. Wisconsin could actually lead the nation out of the health care quagmire we are currently in. Call me...