News Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 31, 2004 |
Contact: CMS Public Affairs
(202) 690-6145
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HHS Approves Three-Year Extension for BadgerCare Program
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced the extension of Wisconsin's BadgerCare program that provides vital health care services to 114,000 children and their parents who otherwise would not have access to regular care.
BadgerCare incorporates Wisconsin's State Children's Health Insurance Program with a Medicaid waiver to provide care not only to low-income children, but their custodial parents as well. Secretary Thompson created the BadgerCare program in 1999 when he was governor of the state.
Today's announcement will allow the program to continue operating for an additional three years, through March 2007.
"BadgerCare is providing access to quality health care for tens of thousands of Wisconsin families," Secretary Thompson said. "By reauthorizing this landmark program, we are ensuring continued access to quality health care for eligible children and parents across the state."
BadgerCare enrollees receive the same benefit package as offered by the state Medicaid program's managed care delivery system. BadgerCare also features an employer-sponsored insurance component where families that have access to work-related insurance get help paying the premiums. Families pay a small cost-sharing amount to participate in the program. Children whose families have incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level can enroll in BadgerCare ($37,700).
Nationally, a total of 5.8 million children received health coverage through SCHIP programs at some point last year.
"SCHIP is a tremendously successful program that has a profound effect on the lives of the children it covers," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., the new administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees the SCHIP program. "I am pleased to see states continuing their commitment to it."
SCHIP is a state and federal partnership created with bipartisan support in 1997. Congress set aside $40 billion over 10 years to support SCHIP. It provides health care coverage to children in families whose income is too high for traditional Medicaid coverage and yet too low to afford private health insurance.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: March 31, 2004
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