A Senate Committee held a public hearing Thursday on the BadgerCare Basic Plan bill, which would create a new health care program for people who are on the waiting list for the BadgerCare Core program.

Currently, uninsured single adults under the age of 65 whose incomes are below 200 percent of the poverty line and who are not eligible for Medicare can sign up for the BadgerCare Core plan.

The Core plan provides basic primary and preventative care. Due to the large amount of applicants, however, the program was capped in October and a waiting list was established.

The new bill, if passed, would establish a new program for people on the waiting list for the Core plan, operating no sooner than March 1, 2010.

The BadgerCare Basic Plan would provide primary and preventative care, and the benefits would not exceed those provided under the Core plan.

Funding for BadgerCare Basic Plan would be funded through monthly premiums from individuals covered under the plan.

Lindsey Leininger, post doctorate fellow in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, said the BadgerCare programs are important for providing options for people who have limited access.

“A lot of people just frankly don’t have access to affordable insurance right now,” Leininger said. “It plays an absolutely crucial role in Wisconsin having good health insurance rates.”

Leininger added a great part of Wisconsin’s programs is the way they are tied to employer coverage, unlike universal coverage programs in other states like Massachusetts.

Leininger said for many of the programs, people have to prove they cannot receive health insurance through their employer to be eligible for the state programs.

“This is really at the vanguard of health policy. The biggest group of uninsured are these low-income, childless adults,” Leininger said. “The fact Wisconsin is offering this safety net to them is hugely important, and frankly I think it’s something the entire country will be looking at.”

Phil Dougherty, senior executive officer of the Wisconsin Association of Health Care Plans, said they have no official stance on the bill. They do, however, have several concerns.

We applaud the concern for the uninsured population. That’s laudable, Dougherty said. But when it comes to the special BadgerCare Plus Basic proposition, legislators who support that plan must also acknowledge that existing benefit mandates in the commercial insurance market increase costs and prevent thousands of Wisconsin residents from attaining affordable health insurance.

Dougherty said that in the past, the state has mandated that certain benefits must be required in certain health insurance plans, driving up the costs for many people. With the BadgerCare Basic program, these benefits are not required, which has caused some concerns for commercial insurers.

“They’re admittedly saying, we’re not going to cover all insurance mandates covered by the state, we’re not going to not follow all insurance regulation — we’re going to play a different game,” Dougherty said. “For insurers, that’s a bit frustrating.”

The Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief and Revenue will vote on the bill today.