Monday, December 30, 2013

* * H A P P Y  N E W  Y E A R ! ! * *
HealthWatch WatchDog Season 6, Episode 9: “A Year in Review
The health coverage landscape changed dramatically in 2013. In a year of reform, Wisconsin took a different path than most states. Bobby and Brynne look back at the tumultuous 2013 and make predictions for 2014.
Click here  to watch the episode!
Miss an episode? Visit our WATCHDOG LIBRARY to catch up on topics from previous seasons!

Monday, December 23, 2013

Wisconsin and Minnesota — a tale of two states and Medicaid



Wisconsin family braces for a Medicaid transition

In Lisa Nerenhausen’s house, the consequences of the state of Wisconsin’s approach to the Affordable Care Act are mixed. Read more
People in Wisconsin and Minnesota living just barely above the poverty line are about to see their health care fortunes change — in opposite directions.
In Wisconsin, about 77,000 people are expected to lose Medicaid and will have to purchase coverage through private exchanges. These include 38,067 people between 101 percent and 133 percent of the federal poverty level, and 35,781 people between 134 percent and 200 percent, according to figures provided by the state.
In Minnesota, an estimated 35,000 childless adults whose incomes fall between 75 and 133 percent of poverty are expected to be newly eligible for Medical Assistance, the state’s Medicaid program. In addition, 85,000 children and parents will move to the full Medicaid program from MinnesotaCare. MinnesotaCare is another health care program funded by federal Medicaid, state funds and premiums paid by its low-income subscribers.
The federal poverty level is $11,490 a year for an individual, $15,510 for a family of two and $23,550 a year for a family of four.
The Wisconsin changes mean some residents here will soon be required to pay for their coverage while Minnesotans in the same income brackets will be moving onto Medicaid. Medicaid plans are often free to recipients, with the costs split between states and the federal government. The enrollment transition in Wisconsin, originally planned for Jan. 1, has been pushed back to April 1.
Currently, Wisconsin offers Medicaid coverage to a broader swath of the population than does Minnesota. Wisconsin’s Medicaid program, known as BadgerCare, covered adults up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. But long waiting lists meant that many eligible childless adults were not getting coverage at all.
Wisconsin’s changes mean that an estimated 83,000 childless adults will be newly able to get coverage through BadgerCare. This change, too, will be pushed back to April 1.
Minnesota, meanwhile, had much lower coverage levels but was providing Medicaid to most of those who qualified. Minnesota has also been covering individuals above 200 percent of the poverty level on MinnesotaCare, which charges some premiums. That level will drop to 200 percent of the federal poverty level next year.
Under the Affordable Care Act, both states are adopting new rules regarding Medicaid coverage. Both decisions, steeped in politics, will have profound consequences for tens of thousands of people.
Minnesota and Wisconsin, while similar demographically, have taken different paths in line with each state’s ruling political party.
Wisconsin policies veer to the right, under Republican Gov. Scott Walker and GOP majorities in the state Senate and Assembly. Minnesota, under Gov. Mark Dayton, of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, and Democratic majorities in both houses of the legislature, has veered to the left.
Minnesota chose to establish its own health exchange, MNsure, to serve as a one-stop marketplace for consumers to shop for and compare health insurance options. Wisconsin opted to use the federal exchange.
The two states also took different approaches in providing health insurance for those just above the poverty line.
Walker, much to the dismay of state Democrats, decided to forgo $119 million in federal funds to expand Medicaid. Instead, he wants to move some of those who had been receiving BadgerCare to the federal health care exchanges, and use the savings to provide coverage to childless adults up to 100 percent of the poverty level.
“It would have been fiscally unsustainable and would have added tens of thousands of people to the Medicaid rolls when my goal was to have fewer people dependent on the government, not more,” Walker wrote in his new book, “Unintimidated: A Governor’s Story and a Nation’s Challenge.”
In an interview with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, Walker said he tried to avoid the two routes taken by most states: accepting the federal expansion at the risk of a future expense to the state or rejecting the federal funds and leaving many residents uninsured.
“I disagreed with Obamacare. I have consistently been against it,” he said. “I tried to provide a viable alternative.”
The number of Wisconsin parents, children and childless adults who receive Medicaid coverage under BadgerCare will go up slightly next year, to about 800,000 people. This figure does not include the Medicaid coverage for the blind, elderly and disabled, which will not change.
In Minnesota, Dayton accepted federal funding to expand Medicaid to raise the state’s coverage threshold to 133 percent. The Minnesota Department of Human Services estimates 880,000 people will be in the program in 2015, as well as 145,000 MinnesotaCare enrollees.
“We’re really looking at the tale of two states here,” said Bobby Peterson of ABC for Health, a Wisconsin-based nonprofit advocacy group. “We’re struggling a little bit now, compared to the state of Minnesota.”
Minnesota, he said, embraced health care reform under Democratic President Barack Obama, set up its own marketplace and worked from early on to expand Medicaid. “I think we can look at some of those decisions as part of the reason why (Wisconsin is) behind the curve right now.”
In Wisconsin, Walker declined the Medicaid expansion along with more than 20 other Republican governors in states such as Indiana, Alabama and Maine.
Of those states, Wisconsin is the only one “that will not have a gap in health care coverage after April 1, 2014,” wrote Claire Smith, spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, in an email.
Walker delayed implementation of the changes from Jan. 1 to April 1 because of the mess he said the Obama administration had made of its health care rollout.
“I’m not going to let the failure of the federal government let people fall through the cracks,” Walker said in announcing the delay.
But the delay comes at a cost for others: The estimated 83,000 childless adults at or below the poverty line who are expected to be newly eligible for Medicaid coverage in Wisconsin must also wait until April 1.
The delay has caused howls of protests from state Democrats.
"This is shameful!" shouted Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, as the delays were passed. But Republicans blamed the delay on the federal government for not having the health care exchanges ready in time.
According to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau report, Wisconsin will save $23 million by keeping most childless adults off the rolls for three more months while continuing to cover people above 100 percent of poverty.
At a University of Wisconsin multi-campus webinar on the Affordable Care Act in November, Wisconsin Medicaid Director Brett Davis was asked about the people who are facing difficult transitions because of the state’s health care choices.
His reply: “We wish it was a perfect world and we could do everything for everyone.”
In Minnesota, Dayton moved quickly after taking office in January 2011. In his first act in office, he expanded Medicaid eligibility, adding childless adults with incomes of up to 75 percent of the poverty level.
“That was a huge deal,” said Jeremy Drucker, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Dayton made Minnesota one of the first states to move forward with the early Medicaid opt-in. The Department of Human Services said the early opt-in will have attracted $1.2 billion in federal aid through early 2014. Those funds represent the typical 50 percent federal Medicaid funding match. The funding, however, will bump up to 100 percent next year for newly eligible childless adults.
The full expansion of Medicaid, known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, is expected to save the state about $117 million over the next two years.
“Minnesota’s doing the right thing and saying, ‘Look, the feds are paying us to give Medicaid coverage to guys below 133 (percent of poverty) – let’s do it,’ ” said Jonathan Gruber, an MIT economist who assisted planning for MNsure and helped design the Affordable Care Act.
Gruber said the Medicaid expansion also helps consumers who purchase private coverage through the exchanges. Typically, he said, those on Medicaid tend to be sicker, so forcing them to purchase private coverage will drive up premiums by 10 percent or more on the marketplaces because of the way insurers calculate costs. (See sidebar, “States differ widely on costs.”)
Gruber said he had fewer concerns about the population between 133 percent and 200 percent of the federal poverty level, which is losing coverage in Wisconsin but will be covered in Minnesota under MinnesotaCare/Basic Health Program.
“I can sort of see Wisconsin’s argument” for removing that group of people, Gruber said. “They were very generous. The federal government is now offering an alternative through the exchanges, and they are saving the state money if the guys go on the exchanges rather than on Medicaid. For Medicaid, the state pays half. For the exchanges, the state pays nothing.”


Read more: http://host.madison.com/news/local/health_med_fit/wisconsin-and-minnesota-a-tale-of-two-states-and-medicaid/article_e2ccc33e-6b67-11e3-9a72-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz2oKRg0vdK

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

A Four Year Review

At this time four years ago I was literally dying. I had signed up for Wisconsin's Badgercare in October of 2009 and had to wait until January first 2010 for the HMO to kick in, I was in surgery January third. I can only say that God held me up until the time came for  the insurance to be in full force. God also lead the right doctors me in order to be properly diagnosed, fixed and then make a full recovery.

On a financial level, I was able, to once again, pull my house out of foreclosure. I was able to get a modification and almost forty thousand was dropped off of my balance, all due to HAMP. I am still dependent on SSI/SSDI and foodshare, which I am thankful for every day for it. I have been watching the news on these issues and know there are others in a similar situation as mine and are suffering due to decisions being made by those in Washington. I am truly grateful for this assistance, without it we would have lost everything. I still make and sell things at a local farmers/artisan market during the Summer. Although this year I wanted to enjoy time with my family, they have been a huge source of comfort and support, I wanted to reciprocate the time and attention they have given to me. Whenever we spend time together, the world melts away and everything that's going on out there is left behind, at least for a little while.

Health wise, I have had a few scares but overall am doing very well. I have been stable now for three and a half years! If I had followed the course most have, that have this disease, I would be on my third surgery. I developed new growth shortly after the surgery in 2010 but for some reason it has stopped growing. I would like to know why, because I would like to keep doing whatever it is that has stopped the growth! I do have moments when I don't feel so great, but if I stay quiet for a little while it passes. The hernia causes more discomfort than the mucinous tumors do. Despite that, I am able to get up every morning and control my day, I don't dwell on my condition, there is to much to be done to give it much thought. I truly understand and appreciate the gift I was given, the gift of life. Life really does take on a whole new meaning when you realize you almost lost it. You appreciate the good things in life, learn from the bad and work what is good toward others. I read a quote from Erma Bombeck that sums it up perfectly...'when I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I do not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, I used everything you gave me.'
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ermabombec106409.html#xm11GgHEHOMYHz53.99

I will continue to post information as I receive it from advocacy groups here in Wisconsin. They work hard to make sure we have the facts on what's happening and the decisions being made by elected officials. Thank you for following along all these years!
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ermabombec106409.html#xm11GgHEHOMYHz53.99




When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ermabombec106409.html#xm11GgHEHOMYHz53.99
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/ermabombec106409.html#xm11GgHEHOMYHz53.99Since then I have seen some interesting things. Shortly after returning home from the hospital, I watched the President sign into law the ACA, I watched as lawsuits quickly followed. I watched as the Supreme Court upheld the law. I watched politicians use it to campaign on, to replace and repeal, to repeal and used it to shutdown the government. I watched the roll out for the Healthcare.gov website go horribly wrong, but knowing it would be fixed. I watched others use it as a means to trash the President. All the while wondering if those that are so determined to bring down the ACA and by extension the President, do they truly understood the fear of having a serious health issue? Do they understand the fear you experience while desperately trying to keep it all together? First, the fear of not knowing what's wrong, the fear of losing everything, what little you have left? Listening to them, you would think that everyone that is sick or has health problems did it to themselves. In my case, a rare disease was not brought about by anything I did, or by a life of debauchery, why is it so hard for them to understand that 'time and unforeseen occurrences befall us all'? They should know the scripture just sited, since they claim to  be people of faith, they should know 'that calamitous times can fall suddenly'.


Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Joint Finance decision on extending health insurance helps some, hurts others


Described by Wisconsin state Rep. Cory Mason, D-Racine, as the “Ebenezer Scrooge” approach to health care reform, the state’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted 11-2 Monday on a proposal that will switch course and force 83,000 childless adults to wait until April 1 for health insurance, while keeping another roughly 80,000 covered through the same date.
The vote, with Mason and Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, voting against it, is the first step to the Republican-controlled legislature addressing the problematic rollout of the Affordable Care Act since its healthcare.gov website launched Oct. 1.
Riddled with bugs, it soon became necessary for the federal government to postpone the due date for people to sign up for health coverage, as required by the new law.
That prompted Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, never a fan or supporter of President Barack Obama's approach health care reform, to call a special session of the Legislature to approve measures to delay changing BadgerCare eligibility requirements and other measures that would no longer be needed with the health care insurance exchanges in place.
The bad news from from Monday’s Joint Finance meeting is that 83,000 childless adults earning $11,490 annually will not receive insurance through BadgerCare until April 1, as originally promised by the state. These childless adults could have received coverage, as originally promised, on Jan. 1 if the lawmakers and Walker would have agreed to accept federal money to temporarily expand the Medicaid program.
Had the state taken the federal money to expand Medicaid for the next three months, it would have saved roughly $89 million for the remainder of this budget cycle and covered an additional 83,000 people.
The upside is families earning up to 133 percent of the federal poverty level who qualify for BadgerCare insurance coverage will continue to receive coverage through April 1.
The Assembly meets Wednesday to vote on the bill and the Senate is scheduled to take up the proposal Dec. 19.
Here are some noteworthy statements that stuck out from Monday's Joint Finance debate:
Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills: “It really breaks my heart that we are being forced to make these choices today, but we are."
Rep. Cory Mason, R-Racine: “The governor can’t have it both ways. He can’t say, ‘I don’t want to take the federal money to set up an exchange’ and then say ‘oh that darn federal exchange’. There is no reason we couldn’t have set up a state exchange.”
Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend: “My only comment is I think we are being a little too negative here. We are going ahead and giving this coverage for another three months. And right now 16 other states aren’t even doing that.”
Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette: “You folks quoting Citizen Action of Wisconsin (on the lower cost of health insurance in Minnesota verses Wisconsin) would be like us quoting information from Americans for Prosperity. It’s just not reliable information.”
Rep. Dean Knudson, R-Hudson: “The fact is Obamacare is a man-made catastrophe of unprecedented proportions.”
Sen. Robert Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie: “Let’s talk about glitches. I’m a history major. There were glitches with the Social Security rollout … I even think you guys had glitches with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp (rollout).”
Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee: “The glitch isn’t with the federal government. The glitch is in this room. When it comes to federal money with roads or schools, there is never a problem. But when it comes to the federal government and health care (accepting money to expand Medicaid, the federal government suddenly becomes an unreliable partner? Give me a break.”
Sen. Robert Wirch: “You sure got between the doctor and the patient when you passed all that pro-life legislation. You sure got between the doctor and the patient on that one,” in response to Rep. Kooyenga arguing the Affordable Care Act does not allow some people to keep their current doctor.
Rep. John Richards, D-Milwaukee: “What we are doing here is putting a Band-Aid on a mistake we created.”
Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills: “When you talk broken promises, those broken promises are occurring at federal level. Let us not forget who put us in this situation.”
Rep. Pat Strachota, R-West Bend: “ I don’t speak too often in finance committee …. but we have this issue before us because of what happened with the federal website. We are here due to the failure of the federal government to create a website.”
Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield: “President Obama admitted there were glitches. Then our democratic colleagues are annoyed we are pointing to Washington D.C.”
Rep. John Klenke, R-Green Bay: “Why I don’t want to spend a lot of time pointing at the federal government … we all knew this one thing: The Affordable Care Act would be problematic. For 85 percent of the population it (the existing health insurance system) was working. It was changed for the other 15 percent.”

Monday, December 2, 2013

Headlines: Featured LInks in this Week's Update


GOP Defends BadgerCare Change Delays in Contentious Hearing, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 2, 2013





Walker's Coverage Gap, Press Release ABC for Health, Nov. 26, 2013

Wisconsin Legislative Leadership: Santas or Scrooges?

 

Today, December 2, Wisconsin's Joint Finance Committee voted to approve Special Session bills to continue BadgerCare Plus benefits for parents between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level until the end of March and extend HIRSP benefits (State HIRSP) as well. Unfortunately, the coverage extension means that Governor Walker breaks a commitment to eliminate coverage gaps and start coverage for over 90,000 low-income, childless adults who expected BadgerCare Plus coverage on January 1, 2014. The Appleton Post Crescent Editorial Board wrote this weekend, "We hope our leaders don't turn into Scrooges this season. Let's make this right and cover everyone through March, even if it costs $23 million to protect the neediest of the needy." Will our legislative leaders be Santas or Scrooges? We discuss this more inside this Newsletter!
Also in this issue, the SHOP Exchange enrollment is pushed back while the Feds say Healthcare.gov is up and working. In this edition of the Update, we look at the federal Marketplace HealthCare.gov as people have 21 days left to apply and pay for insurance to have active coverage on January 1, 2014.
Read about these breaking news items, case tips, HealthWatch coalition activities, recent articles and more in this week’s Update newsletter. Thanks to all of the current members, subscribers, and supporters--you make the HealthWatch Update possible!
HealthWatch members and subscribers, click on the red button below to start reading the full version of this newsletter! Remember to enter your login and password when prompted.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

HealthWatch WatchDog Season 6, Episode 8: “Walker's Coverage Gap”

Governor Walker recently announced a special session of the legislature to act on two bills that extend BadgerCare Plus coverage for certain parents for 3 months. Unfortunately, the coverage extension means that Governor Walker breaks a promise to start coverage for over 90,000 low-income, childless adults who expected BadgerCare Plus coverage on January 1, 2014.
Click here or on the image at the right to watch the episode!
Click Here to read our call to action.
Miss an episode? Visit our WATCHDOG LIBRARY to catch up on topics from previous seasons! 

HealthWatch Wisconsin's 7th Annual Conference: "Marketplace Pathways to Health Care"
Join us in Madison February 20 & 21, 2014 as HealthWatch Wisconsin gathers state and federal policy makers, health care providers, public health, and advocates to learn about Marketplace enrollment and coverage, the latest on other health reform policies, and strategies to help guide people to the health care and coverage they need and deserve.

Saturday, November 16, 2013

The Coverage Swap

Governor Walker announced on Thursday that he will call a special session of the Legislature to take up two bills, the most noteable is one to continue BadgerCare Plus benefits for parents between 100% and 200% of the Federal Poverty Level until the end of March and extend HIRSP benefits (State HIRSP) as well. How will the state pay for postponing the cuts? With a coverage swap--by not expanding Medicaid for low-income, childless adults.  About 80,000 of Wisconsin's lowest income, childless adults will remain uninsured for an additional 3 months. They could shop the Marketplace, but they would not be able to get subsidies since this is the population that was supposed to get Medicaid. We discuss this more inside this Newsletter!
Also in this issue, President Obama addressed the nation proposing what he calls a "private insurance fix." But what is the consequence of extending some of these plans? In this edition of the Update, we look at the federal Marketplace HealthCare.gov, the insurance company and state decisions that may be making things worse.
Read about these breaking news items, case tips, HealthWatch coalition activities, recent articles and more in this week’s Update newsletter. Thanks to all of the current members, subscribers, and supporters--you make the HealthWatch Update possible!
HealthWatch members and subscribers, click on the red button below to start reading the full version of this newsletter! Remember to enter your login and password when prompted.
If you are new to the Training Portal, simply click "register" after clicking on the red button above. Answer the questions, create a username and password, and we'll help you take it from there! Not a member? Click here to join HealthWatch Wisconsin!


Mental Health Parity Decades in the Making
 
On November 8, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) together with the Department of Labor and Treasury jointly issued a final rule to implement the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). The Act, among other things, ensures that health plan features (like co-pays, deductibles, visit limits) are not more restrictive for mental health and substance abuse disorders than for other medical and surgical benefits. A press release issued by HHS outlines the consumer protections in the final rule:
  • Ensuring that parity applies to intermediate levels of care received in residential treatment or intensive outpatient settings
  • Clarifying the scope of the transparency required by health plans, including the disclosure rights of plan participants, to ensure compliance with the law
  • Clarifying that parity applies to all plan standards, including geographic limits, facility-type limits, and network adequacy
  • Eliminating an exception to the existing parity rule that was determined to be confusing, unnecessary, and open to abuse.
The Kaiser Health News released a podcast with conversation about the long-awaited mental health parity law regulations. 


Obamacare y Usted
 

The Kaiser Family Foundation, known for producing handy tools and resources to explain health reform, has done it again. On the heels of their very successul premium calculator, they have created a new Spanish Language consumer resource center to explain "how the ACA may impact individuals and families throughout the United States." The site features a new Spanish Language subsidy calculator to help consumers estimate premiums and tax credits in the Marketplace. Organizations are invited and encouraged to embed the calculator on their own websites for free. The website also features the "Obamacare and You" factsheet, now in Spanish (Obamacare y Usted.)


Share Your BadgerCare, Medicaid, or Marketplace Story!

Are you one of the more than 90,000 parents who will lose BadgerCare Plus coverage in 2014?
Are you under 100% FPL and moving to BadgerCare?
Are you a mother or father just making ends meet who's concerned about the new changes to BadgerCare coverage?
Are you not sure WHERE TO GO for help?
Tell us your health care and coverage story! As 2013 comes to a close, the health care landscape in Wisconsin is changing. If you or a loved one will be changing insurance, losing BadgerCare Plus or going to the Marketplace to purchase insurance for the first time, we’d like to hear your story! There are many ways to contact us:



Support Our Efforts with a Tax-Deductible Contribution!

Support ABC for Health as we pursue our mission of helping people in Wisconsin secure access to health care and coverage. Our staff works tirelessly with the thousands of families and individuals who contact our office each year. To continue, we do need your help and support. A tax-deductible financial contribution will support direct legal, advocacy, and education services to families in Wisconsin.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Governor Walker Calls for Special Legislative Session To Postpone BadgerCare Plus Cuts


In a press conference convened Thursday, November 14 at 1:30pm at the State Capitol, Governor Walker addressed a room of advocates, legislators, and media to announce that he is calling a special session of the legislature to act on two bills that would: 1. Delay by 3 months the termination of people from BadgerCare Plus above 100% FPL to allow more time for people to select health care plans in the Marketplace--that is, delay terminations until March 31; and 2. Delay by 3 months changes in HIRSP, the state's health insurance risk sharing plan, originally set to sunset December 31, 2013. Walker expects the Legislature to convene in late November. Walker stated, "It has become abundantly clear that the rollout of ObamaCare is failing.  We need to take decisive action to make sure the people of the state don't fall through the cracks."
In addition, Walker said he is asking Obama's administration to allow people to use subsidies to purchase any qualified plan, no matter where they purchase their plan--in or out of the Marketplace.
"Whether you're for or against it, the roll-out of ObamaCare has not gone as originally proposed...I'm not going to let the failures of the federal government let people get caught between two systems." Walker clarified that financially, "We don't need new GPR to do this." When answering questions from the media about whether federal funds could have helped, Walker added, "The failure of the ObamaCare rollout is the precise reason I didn't take the Medicaid Expansion money in the first place."
Many community leaders had recently pressured the Governor to delay the cuts originally signed into law on June 30 in the Governor's most recent budget. The state budget scheduled the termination of parents, caretakers and adults from BadgerCare Plus on December 31. With delays in the new Marketplace, due to poor functionality of healthcare.gov, advocates and community leaders were skeptical that the estimated 80,000 individuals being terminated from BadgerCare Plus coverage would be able to connect to the Marketplace by December 15, pick a plan, and pay their first premium, in order to secure coverage that would start on January 1, 2014 thus preventing a gap in coverage.
This special session of lawmakers will convene before their next scheduled meeting (January 14, 2014) with the hope that bills are voted on by early December.
Pressure to Extend the Deadline
Advocates and community leaders have been calling on Governor Scott Walker to defer cutting individuals off BadgerCare Plus if the federal marketplace is not operational by the end of November. Open enrollment continues through the end of March, but coverage can take up to several weeks before kicking in after people sign up, which may result in penalties.  An advocacy letter sent to Walker outlined concern for the 77,000 parents that may be out of coverage stating, “These concerns are magnified by the healthcare.gov technical glitches that have hindered enrollment thus far.” The letter asked Walker to lay out his contingency plan if enrollment through the exchange continues to present difficulties.
Milwaukee mayor, Tom Barrett, requested that Walker delay these cutoffs, not to debate the integrity of the Affordable Care Act or the changes to BadgerCare Plus in the last state budget, but to ask Walker not to take insurance away from 92,000 individuals and families until the federal system is running smoothly. Barrett wanted a three month delay in the BadgerCare cutoff.
And finally, in a letter dated November 12, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin raised concerns about the plan to terminate parents and offered solutions "to ensure our constituents maintain the health coverage they need." Baldwin stated, "Your current outreach plan calls for residents who will lose BadgerCare coverage to receive final notice at the end of November, leaving them just two weeks to enroll or they will lose coverage on January 1." Senator Baldwin also offers a number of solutions that the Walker Administration could pursue, including altering their current request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services so that BadgerCare enrollees maintain their current coverage through the end of March.
State Responsibility for How We Got Here
Rep. Sandy Pasch (D-Shorewood), too says there is state responsibility in this debacle. When speaking to the Shepherd's Express in Milwaukee, Pasch said Wisconsin had an opportunity to run its own exchange, and decided against it.

Wisconsin decided against more than just that. When Walker took office in 2011, he terminated former Governor Doyle's health reform efforts, transformed the Office of Health Care Reform into the "Office of Free Market Health Care" and then quickly closed it altogether, sent back exchange money, set back Consumer Assistance Program Funds, and rejected a Medicaid expansion. Wisconsin has been kicking and screaming against the law from the start. Wisconsinites are probably feeling a little tired of the opposition and angry at the obstacles to care and coverage.
The feds themselves will say they never anticipated that this many states would refuse to participate in creating their own marketplaces, instead pushing all their residents to the federal website. The volume, had states participated, would have been manageable. "The feds at CMS who set up our Marketplace are not off the hook either," says ABC for Health's Bobby Peterson. "They funded navigator programs in a hodge-podge way in Wisconsin and set up a $400 million Rube Goldberg Machine to enroll in the Marketplace."  Cancelled Insurance Policies:
President Obama held his own press conference today, easing complaints about cancelled insurance policies. The administration announced it will let health insurers extend existing health plans on the individual and small group market into 2014, even if the plans do not meet regulations imposed under the ACA. The only caveat is that insurers must "notify consumers" of the protections these plans lack.
President Obama was criticized for saying, "If you like your insurance, you can keep it." What he was actually saying is "you can keep your plan, unless your insurance company was offering such a terrible plan it could never conform to consumer protection standards and fairness that it won't comply with the law." Then the insurance company will most likely cancel your plan. The consequence to today's decision is to allow discriminatory plans to persist in the marketplace, in exchange for offering insurance companies "more time" to adjust to new regulations.
Health reform is not responsible for millions of Americans losing good health insurance plans. Health reform is responsible for raising the standards of coverage, and thus forcing the "junk health insurance" out of the marketplace. Consumer Reports published a study of low cost, low coverage plans, placing them in their own category of "junk." Their conclusion? No coverage is better than junk coverage.
"These are insurance company decisions," says Bobby Peterson in an interview with Wisconsin Public Television's "Here and Now." Plans made enough changes so that the plans are no longer eligible to be "grandfathered." If the insurance companies wanted to maintain those plans and enrollees, they could have done that.
We also know the following to be true: This happens all the time in the individual marketplace. BYU Professor of Political Science Richard Davis in an opinion piece to the Deseret News says, "They’ve been doing it for years to people they didn’t want to cover. The difference is the news media didn’t tell us about those cancellations."
Health care consumers are better off when they have plans that don't discriminate, even if that means some plans must disappear when they don't meet basic, minimum standards. Davis says, "No longer will consumers be left in a wild, wild west-style marketplace where insurers can offer whatever they want and call it health care insurance."