At a meeting Monday morning with governors from around the country, President Barack Obama announced Wisconsin will be able to access federal stimulus money designated for Medicaid expenses as soon as Wednesday.

The state will be eligible for about $163 million in federal funding under the bill.

“Children with asthma will be able to breathe easier, seniors won’t need to fear losing their doctors and pregnant women with limited means won’t need to worry about the health of their babies,” Obama said in a statement Monday.

The money Wisconsin may receive would be used to fund the state’s BadgerCare health care program without forcing the state government to deepen budget cuts as a result of the economic crisis, according to Lee Sensenbrenner, spokesperson for Gov. Jim Doyle.

Last year, more than 70,000 new kids signed up for the health care program, Sensenbrenner added. The funds will make sure these kids can access health care despite the current economic conditions.

“The money will be used to continue to provide access to basic medical coverage and ensures that every kid in Wisconsin has access to health care coverage,” Sensenbrenner said.

Additionally, the money will allow the state to provide health care to childless adults or to adults with children over age 18 through the BadgerCare Plus program, Sensenbrenner said.

However, even with the funds from the stimulus package, the state will not be able to start the BadgerChoice program previously advocated by the governor, he added. Under BadgerChoice, state health care coverage would be provided to small businesses employees.

According to Assembly Majority Leader Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, the funds are some of the more important part of the stimulus package. He added the state needs to make sure people have basic health care services, especially during this economic downturn.

Although Republicans were optimistic about the increased funding for Medicaid recipients, they were wary of the money being used as one-time funds to fill the budget shortfall currently faced by the state.

“We need to take care of the people who need it, but Gov. Doyle needs to be responsible and make sure there is money to fill the hole when the one-time federal funding goes away,” Wisconsin Republican Party Spokesperson Kirsten Kukowski said in an e-mail to The Badger Herald.

However, Kukowski added, based on the governor’s budget proposal, it does not seem like he will be able to adequately balance the budget.

Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, had similar concerns, but acknowledged the bill will also benefit doctors and other health care providers throughout the state in addition to Medicaid recipients.

“It will be helpful for all those providers that have had inadequate reimbursement, but creates future problems when that funding source isn’t there,” Fitzgerald said.

In total, more than $15 billion of the funds will be available for states’ use starting Wednesday. The funds will be put in special Treasury accounts for the states and will be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, according to a statement from the White House Monday.