Following more than 10 years of experience with welfare reform initiatives, Wisconsin has implemented an innovative health care program for working poor families. BadgerCare bridges the gap between Medicaid and private insurance by offering coverage to children, their parents and their parents’ spouses in families with income up to 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level. Other innovative features of BadgerCare include provisions to avoid crowd-out of private insurance, cost-sharing, and intensive community outreach. This presentation describes preliminary case study data from a comprehensive evaluation of BadgerCare sponsored by the Health Care Financing Administration. The case study will develop a comprehensive picture of the program’s development and implementation through structured interviews and focus groups. Interviews with stakeholders at the state and local level will allow us to describe the design process and key decisions as seen from different perspectives and over time. Focus groups will address how program outreach, enrollment and operations are perceived by participating and non-participating eligible families. Case study findings will be integrated with survey data and secondary data analysis as the evaluation progresses.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Identify the unique features of BadgerCare in the context of State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIPs). 2. Describe significant events and decisions influencing BadgerCare’s design and implementation process. 3. Describe how eligible participants and non-participants view the program. 4. Assess the implications of BadgerCare’s experience for other SCHIP programs.
Keywords: Health Insurance, Children's Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.