Would 126,000 more people receive BadgerCare coverage in Wisconsin with Medicaid expansion?

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services estimates that about 90,000 people would become eligible for BadgerCare Plus coverage through Medicaid expansion. 

In its 2023-25 biennial budget request, the department projected that "adopting the full expansion eligibility limits" would enroll an additional 61,100 parents and 28,600 adults without children.

Previous estimates projected about 120,000 more Wisconsinites would be enrolled, including a 2020 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report.

Wisconsin is among 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid coverage to 138% of the federal poverty level, which brings in additional federal matching funding. 

Gov. Tony Evers and Democrats have tried expanding Medicaid multiple times, including through the last budget and a special legislative session. Republicans have blocked the effort. 

A 2021 estimate by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau found that Wisconsin would have saved over $1 billion in 2021-23 by expanding Medicaid, when the federal government temporarily increased the matching rate.