New figures released last month by the Census Bureau show that an unacceptable number of Wisconsinites, including children, are living without health insurance. Every kid and every family deserves affordable insurance so that they can get needed care without having to worry about going bankrupt because of unexpected medical bills.
Here are four charts drawn from the data that describe health insurance coverage in Wisconsin.
1. Since 2013 hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites have gotten coverage, but the uninsured rate for 2017 rose slightly compared to 2016.
The Affordable Care Act allowed millions of people in the US to access health insurance. From 2013-2017, 17 million people gained coverage. In Wisconsin approximately 208,000 fewer Wisconsinites were uninsured than in 2013, a decline of 40 percent.
2. 309,000 Wisconsinites still remain uninsured and about 53,000 of them are children.
No one should have to go without insurance coverage, especially children. Children who have health insurance have fewer emergency room visits and are more likely to finish high school and go on to college. Wisconsin could cover more children by fully expanding BadgerCare because when parents are covered their children are more likely to be insured. Wisconsin was once a national leader in insuring children, but has since slipped to the middle of the pack since states that have expanded Medicaid made substantial gains in children’s coverage.
3. Wisconsinites of color are insured at much lower rates than whites.
While the uninsured rates have decreased significantly since 2013, there are still wide disparities between white residents and Black, Asian, Latinx, and Native American residents. For Latinx and Native American Wisconsinites, the uninsured rate is about four times the rate for white Wisconsinites. We still have a lot of work to do.
4. Wisconsin could be doing much better and save hundreds of millions by fully expanding BadgerCare.
Wisconsin’s approach to partial Medicaid expansion has not been sufficient to care for our state’s kids and families and leaves us all paying more to cover fewer people. While partial expansion has given thousands of Wisconsinites access to health insurance, it pales in comparison to full expansion in neighboring states like Minnesota and Michigan.
Wisconsin is one of only 17 states that has declined to use funding available from the Affordable Care Act to fully expand Medicaid for childless adults. This decision has cost state taxpayers more than $1 billion and leaves thousands in our state uninsured. Expanding BadgerCare would mean more adults—and kids—would be covered.
Since 2013, Wisconsin, and the rest of the US, have made substantial gains in coverage thanks mostly to the Affordable Care Act, but a lawsuit, led by Wisconsin and Texas threatens to undermine and undo much of that progress. Withdrawing from the lawsuit is the least Wisconsin can do if it’s serious about protecting access to healthcare for its residents, regardless of their health status. We also need to expand BadgerCare, which would cover thousands more people and save hundreds of millions in state dollars.
Candidates running for office in Wisconsin must be committed to protecting and expanding health care coverage, access and affordability and voters must demand that candidates support these values. To learn more about how you can support access to healthcare, especially for communities of color, check out our health care issue guide, Make Wisconsin Healthier for Communities of Color, at racetothepolls.org.
William Parke-Sutherland