Walker's Medical Assistance Reform Act

Walker's bill on Medical Assistance
Although the language is illusive, the outcome is this: current law requires changes to Badger Care to be manifested from the Federal Government and administered locally. The new bill removes Federal law governance and places the administration and law making into one body under the state Governor. This change has the distinct possibility of extensively reducing benefits to Badger Care insured persons or revoking them. The bill's MA provisions are quoted verbatim below.

It is one thing to make state employees pay for benefits that the private sector can only dream about (pensions are all but history in the private sector) and the insurance benefits long enjoyed by state employees would make you drule, but it is quite another thing to play God.

In Arizona, a family man in need of a liver transplant to survive was denied the operation after a matched donor had been found. He will die before the end of this years. At some point while the legislature that sentenced him to death is driving around in his mercedes benz or playing with his children on his back lawn, the family man that was denied a transplant will explain to his elementary-aged daughter that he will die this year. Congratulations, Arizona, we didn't know God had entered your legislature. Congratulations, Wisconsin, you are not far behind.

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

Under current law, DHS administers the Medical Assistance (MA) program, which is a joint federal and state program that provides health services to individuals who have limited resources. Some services are provided through programs that operate under a waiver of federal laws related to medical assistance (MA waiver programs).

This bill requires DHS to:

1. study potential changes to the MA state plan and
2. study potential changes to waivers of federal law relating to: medical assistance for certain purposes, including increasing the cost effectiveness and efficiency of care for the MA program and MA waiver programs and improving the health status of individuals who receive benefits under the MA program or an MA waiver program.
3. If DHS determines, as a result of the study, that revision of existing statutes or rules would be necessary to advance any of the purposes for which the study was conducted, DHS may promulgate rules to implement certain changes, including making certain requirements, modifying benefits, revising provider reimbursement models, developing standards and methodologies for eligibility, and reducing income levels for purposes of determining eligibility.
4. Before promulgating a rule, DHS must submit the proposed rule and any plan developed as a result of the study to JCF for review.
5. DHS must submit an amendment to the state MA plan or request a waiver of federal laws related to medical assistance, if necessary, to the extent necessary to implement any proposal.
6. If the federal Department of Health and Human Services does not allow the amendment or does not grant the waiver, DHS may not put the rule into effect or implement the proposal.
7. To reduce the eligibility income levels to a certain amount, DHS must request a waiver from the secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services to permit DHS to have in effect eligibility standards, methodologies, and procedures that are more restrictive than those in place on March 23, 2010.
8. If DHS does not receive approval for the waiver, DHS must reduce the eligibility income levels for MA programs and MA waiver programs to 133 percent of the federal poverty line for adults who are not pregnant and not disabled, as allowed under federal law.
9. DHS may promulgate the rules as emergency rules.

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
Reflecting the receipt of emergency contingency funds under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, this bill increases by $37,000,000 the amount of TANF moneys allocated for the earned income tax credit.

Read the bill here (http://legis.wisconsin.gov/JR1SB-11.pdf)

Federal Poverty Levels (FPL)

The poverty income levels are used to determine enrollment for BadgerCare Plus. Those may be found at access.wi.gov or here.