Opinion
BadgerCare Plus Core Plan was lacking in positives
Looking for a print version?
Simply use your browser’s ‘Print’ command and a printer-friendly document will be generated automatically.
Also by Emily Osborne:
- Podcasts on horizon; UW at forefront (October 21, 2009)
- BadgerCare Plus Core Plan was lacking in positives (October 8, 2009)
- Mifflin area more than just a street (September 13, 2009)
- Attorney General flip-flops on same-sex rights, discredits self (September 1, 2009)
- UW tuition initiative good investment for all students (April 9, 2009)
Sharing tools:
E-mail this article:
The BadgerCare Plus Core Plan has been suspended after three whole months of activity, leaving thousands wondering how the state government could make such an epic underestimation. The health insurance plan is targeted at low-income, childless adults who make under $21,000 a year. Gov. Jim Doyle mentioned at a news conference at St. Mary’s he is not surprised there is a waiting list, but rather that it grew so long soon after the start of the program. Common sense appears to have pervaded government officials, who seemingly looked past the abundance of lower-income individuals who would likely be in need of a more affordable insurance option. As thousands line up to put their name on the waiting list, it is clear that the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan was a poorly thought-out solution to the health care crisis within the state.
I find it pretty coincidental the program is being shut down due to a surge of applicants. Common sense would lead me to believe that the popularity of a program would help it thrive. But this seems to be at the core of the health care debate. The state government simply cannot afford to have a surplus of applicants, and due to financial constraints, there must be a cutoff. What is unique in this occurrence is that thousands of applicants who met the financial requirements are being put on waiting lists. And while I will put the larger arguments regarding government-run health care programs aside, what makes this case so baffling is that despite economic constraints and the increase in state unemployment, state officials simply did not see this coming.
In retrospect, the program seemed like an adequate fix for the health care problem within the state. The program covers a number of services, from doctor visits to emergency ambulance rides. And for low-income residents with no dependents, this seemed like a decent solution.
There is little question as to why so many flooded toward the program and why the program increased so quickly in popularity. Affordable health coverage is hard to come by, and that is what makes this case so sad. There are an estimated 20,000 people who meet the program requirements but will not make the state budget cutoff. A better thought-out plan would have foreseen the rise of unemployment and increasing demand for such a program and would have looked to other methods so that thousands are not displaced within the state.
As a last-minute fix, Doyle proposed the poorly thought-out stopgap program, intended to provide waiting-list applicants with limited health care options, with an arguable claim that there will be no cost to taxpayers. This leaves the low-income applicants with few options. However, there is increasing speculation as to whether the applicants will even be able to afford the health care the stopgap program offers.
The expenses will range from $600 to $1,200 a year, which will likely be substantial to a person who makes under $21,600 a year (a requirement to qualify for the program), especially in terms of it only paying for partial health care coverage. It is a payment that simply will not be an option for thousands who are on the waiting list. While the stopgap program will quickly tie up some loose ends and will likely hold temporarily, it is nowhere close to a long-term solution, and will no doubt result in confusion and paperwork for the state government and health care providers.
While neither the suspension of the program nor the scramble to fix it speaks well for Doyle, I give him credit for noting that the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan debacle suggests a more serious problem concerning health care reform. On this point, Doyle is correct in saying there is room for discussion about health care within Wisconsin and there is an impending need for the renovation of current plans. The popularity of the program is enough to suggest we have serious health care problems.
It is the responsibility of government officials to not only combat the health care crisis but foresee potential disruptions to their plans.
Emily Osborne (ekosborne@wisc.edu) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
9 Comments | Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Top Classified Ads (view all)
Place your classified ad online and have it show up here. Your ad will hit thousands of viewers a day!
DON'T READ ME! Too late. If you're reading this, guess how many other people are reading it. See... advertising in The Badger Herald does work!
IP hash: 501fe829
I would like to know who check into this program?? Who qualifies and how much do they investigate?? I have friends who had thousands of dollars in medical bills paid. Great but they could of bought insurance instead of the treadmill or the new couch or one of the many vacations.. They just bought a $200,000.00 home in the same year they got the Badger care!! Now they are buying a new car!! Who looks into the finances the applicants have??? As a taxpayer And having to pay for my own insurance I do not understand this program?? They also get $400.00/month food stamps as well!! Planning on getting pregnant because might as well as long as you have free insurance!! This makes no sense to me!! Aggravated!!
IP hash: 740fc5f2
you sound like an asshole of a friend
IP hash: 19b3466c
To the previous commentor. The application process for BadgerCare is actually rather difficult, especially for Core plan. Unlike BC enrollment for children and families, Core plan enrollment must be done over the phone or in person (not online, like with BC for families), with a large amount of paperwork and red tape. Furthermore, as BC is an entitlement program, each beneficiary must re-apply every 12 months. This makes the chances of fraud rather low. In fact, these programs have lower than expected enrollment, as many people who qualify for either traditional BC for children and families and BC core plan for childless adults are unaware that they qualify.
I find your story incredibly unlikely, as the application process for food share (the WI food stamp program) is just as strict, if not more strict, than the process for BC. If your story is valid, your friends are perpetrating fraud against the state and if caught will lose their benefits and face fines. Although I’m hesitant to believe anything you say, as your grammar use and excessive punctuation imply that you’re probably not too bright.
If you want to learn more about BC in WI, I would recommend the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families website, or the Department of Health Services reference page.
IP hash: 3412785f
There’s no mystery here. When economic and political principles are violated, bad things happen.
Economics principle number one: supply and demand. When health care is cheap (or free) demand is high.
Principle number two: When Peter is paying for Paul’s health care, Paul will demand services.
Principle number three: It is immoral to take from Peter and give to Paul.
Principle number four: Government control and redistribution of wealth necessarily leads to rationing. Yes, necessarily.
Principle number five: Freedom is a requirement of production, which means that the ONLY way to make health care (or anything else) affordable is to remove government force from the equation. This means a return to free markets in health care.
IP hash: 740fc5f2
its immoral to let someone die cause your cheap ass won’t cough up the money.
IP hash: 0aa36359
Feel free to donate all your money but don’t reach into my pocket.
IP hash: 3412785f
Nonsense! Sacrifice is the morality of death. I have a right to my life. I am not the means to the ends of others.
IP hash: 4c1b2e3d
There are income limits on the program.
The costs of enrolling low-income adults in this program, as compared to treating them on an acute-emergency room visit (which is the most common time for low-income members of our society to seek healthcare) is must less.
Please do your homework and think about the people your opinions affect; many of whom are simply hardworking Americans who’ve been laid-off are members of the working poor.
IP hash: c69c1dc5
I am very thankful for this program and It is sad to those who could not come up with the 60 dollar fee in time. It is very hard for people today to afford any coverage, or have existing conditions and can’t get covered. I think this is a step in the right direction for the state of WI.
I could never figure out why they wanted to push people to have children just for the insurance.