A state senator requested an audit Friday for the state’s BadgerCare health care program due to its inability to accommodate all applicants.

Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, a member of the Joint Audit Committee, said she asked the co-chairs of the JAC to call for an audit by the Legislative Audit Bureau of the BadgerCare program since it was forced to close enrollment and start a waiting list for its childless adult section in early October.

The Legislative Audit Bureau is a nonpartisan government agency whose purpose is to work with the Legislature to thoroughly review questionable state programs and entities and make legislative recommendations based on their findings.

Lazich said an audit has been needed for a long time, but chairs Sen. Kathleen Vinehout, D-Alma, and Rep. Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, have not agreed with her on the urgency.

“I would certainly like to have seen [BadgerCare] audited yesterday,” Lazich said. “I want to avoid another scandal like what we have seen with the food stamps program and Wisconsin Shares.”

Lazich also said an audit of BadgerCare would be timely, given the fact the Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief and Revenue, and the Assembly Committee on Health and Healthcare Reform hosted a hearing to hear the Department of Health Services’ recommendations on how to handle the situation.

“The joint health committee and [DHS] said they wanted to create a new program called BadgerCare Basic, and I think we need an audit to give them guidance,” Lazich said.

DHS put forth three options for BadgerCare that offer limited health care resources to stay under the budgeted $100 per month per applicant. The options include more limited hospital stays and outpatient visits, highly selective treatment coverage and no allowance of hospital visits until a certain deductible is met.

“Those three basic options are pretty inexpensive; I don’t know how they will manage to do it,” Lazich said. “Who believes you can get proper health care for $100? I don’t think many people believe those options will work.”

Lazich added she does not understand how DHS is making a lot of promises for new options when they cannot stand behind current program.

Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, a member of the JAC, said there is no question the number of applicants to the BadgerCare program is much greater than expected, and that legislators request audits to see if there is any legislative actions can taken to better a program.

In regards to the recommendations made by DHS, Miller said it is the duty of special committees to hear the issues and make informed decisions for the Legislature.

The DHS did not respond to a request for comment.