Medicaid in Wisconsin is called ForwardHealth. Every state has a portion of their Medicaid program that is designed to cover children who are from low-income families. In Wisconsin, this portion is called BadgerCare Plus. It covers children and families.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, health insurance program. It is designed to cover individuals and families who are low-income and who cannot afford to purchase a health insurance plan from a private insurance company. Medicaid is funded by both the federal government and the government of an individual state.
In Wisconsin, the Medicaid program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Medicaid in Wisconsin is called ForwardHealth. There also is another health insurance program called BadgerCare Plus. It is designed to cover children and their families.
All children who are under 19 years of age can enroll in BadgerCare Plus. It does not matter what their income level happens to be. BadgerCare Plus also covers parents and caretakers who have an income level that is up to 200% of the federal poverty level.
It will cover young adults who are 18 years old and are leaving foster care. In that situation, the income level of the person does not matter. BadgerCare Plus can also cover “more farm families and self-employed families”.
People who are interested in applying for BadgerCare Plus, either to get coverage for themselves, or in the hopes that their children will be covered by the program, start the application process in the same place. Use the ACCESS website. It takes about fifteen minutes to answer the questions. When you are done, you will be given information that indicates what health programs you might be eligible for.
You can use the ACCESS website to apply for BadgerCare Plus, Medicaid or the Family Planning Waiver. You might learn that you qualify for low-cost, or no-cost, health care, assistance with buying prescription drugs, and other programs.
The BadgerCare Plus Standard Plan covers a long list of health care services. This plan requires a very small co-payment, (but there may be more than one co-payment).
The BadgerCare Benchmark Plan does not require a co-payment for children who are under the age of 19, and who come from families with an income that is up to 100% of the federal poverty level. This plan covers many health care services, and requires a higher co-payment than the Standard Plan does (for those who are not among the groups that are excluded from the co-payment).
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