Madison Reporter

Wisconsin state Sen. Chris Larson is blasting ongoing opposition to the BadgerCare Medicaid program as being as sickening as it is senseless.

“It still boggles my mind that Wisconsin could cover 126,000 more people under BadgerCare while increasing state revenue by $1.3 billion and legislative Republicans are like 'nah' year after year,” Larson recently posted on Twitter. “When people can't afford health insurance, we all pay for it. Cruelty is expensive.”

With most state residents expressing support for expanding the program, Larson is among those leading the charge for change. According to the veteran lawmaker, at least 126,000 more people would become eligible for BadgerCare through a Medicaid expansion.

While Wisconsin Watch reports the Wisconsin Department of Health Services pegs the number of those that would be newly insured at closer to 90,000, officials add the 2023-25 biennial budget projects that the expansion would enroll about 61,100 parents and 28,600 adults without children.

As it is, even with Gov. Tony Evers pushing for expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act since taking office in 2019, Wisconsin is one of only 11 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage to 138% of the federal poverty level.

According to a poll commissioned by the American Cancer Society, 70% of Wisconsin voters support expanding the state’s BadgerCare program.