Wisconsin has had a program called BadgerCare in place for some time now. It is the Wisconsin version of the federal SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Plan) program that was recently funded for another year+. As we've discussed, somewhere between two-thirds and three-quarters of all premium dollars in that program in Wisconsin are spent on ADULTS. Some 40,000 children who are eligible have never been enrolled.
Here comes BadgerCare Plus effective on and after February 1, 2008. The goal is that this will assure that 98% of all children in Wisconsin will be covered. That is a noble cause and no one disputes that. I am troubled that those administering the current plan have been unable to reach out to the families of those 40,000 kids that have not been enrolled. I am wondering how we're going to be able to get to 98% with BadgerCare Plus if we were so unsuccessful with the current plan. I take major exception with what this new program does cover, however.
It is available to all children regardless of the income of their parents. Some parents with incomes too high to qualify for 'free' coverage will have to pay a monthly premium of as much as $68.00 for each child covered. It has been established in the current program that for every two children enrolled in BadgerCare, one is dropped from private insurance coverage already being paid for by employers and/or parents. Your tax dollars are actually causing people already covered to disenroll in order to get this better deal, and that is increasing the cost of these programs; a cycle that cannot go on forever.
BadgerCare Plus will cover all pregnant women with incomes of up to 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or an amount equal to $51,510 for a family of three. BadgerCare Plus will now be available to farmers and other self-employed people. BadgerCare Plus will be available to parents and caretakers who earn up to 200% of FPL, or $34,340 for a family of three.
The Standard Plan is the same as the current coverage and features copayments from $0.50 to $3.00 based upon the services provided. Those amounts are insufficient to cause anyone to think about the need before presenting for services. That drives the overall costs higher and higher.
A new Benchmark Plan is going to be available. That will feature copayments of from $5.00 for prescriptions to $100 for in-patient stays. Again, these copayments are insufficient to cause anyone to think about need. Emergency cases are the exception, of course. The Benchmark plan is available to families with higher incomes as well as to self-employed families. The list goes on.
BadgerCare Plus is but another example of the incremental movement by those who think government is the answer to everything. A program called the "Childrens Health Insurance" plan is being used to cover more and more adults. It is being used even though disenrollment from private insurance coverage is being caused. It is being expanded to cover more and more people. The Federal Poverty Level number is being very conveniently multiplied by 2 or 3 times in order to be made available to more people with every iteration.
This is pure, unvarnished "Universal Health Care" in the early stages. Surely we remember the parable of the frog and the increasing temperature of the water, don't we? The frog eventually was boiled to death but made no attempt to leave the kettle. While we citizens anguished over the failed 'Healthy Wisconsin' plan (which is coming back for another run), BadgerCare Plus was brought into existence with barely a whisper! Our state officials proposed the relaxation of rules to the federal administrators, who love to be all important to everybody; the rules were relaxed for Wisconsin; and, BadgerCare Plus results. And now the liberals who watched this happen are touting Wisconsin as the newest 'shining beacon' for healthcare.
That is what incrementalism is all about. It has worked down through the centuries. People eventually become accustomed to one level of entitlement, and then the next level gradually appears. People get used to that level, and another is brought into being...until the frog is boiled to death.
