1. Medicaid in Wisconsin
Erin Fabrizius

2. State Budget Included New Investments in Medicaid
Fully funded Medicaid
Increased personal care reimbursement rates by 2% each year
Additional funding for Family Care direct care workers ($60 million)
Ended waiting list for children’s long-term care

3. Session Ends
Some key Medicaid and Safety Net bills didn’t make it though and will need to be re-introduced:
Family Caregiver Tax Credit: AB 631/SB 528 would create a $1,000 tax credit for family caregivers. Qualified expenses include: home modifications, purchasing or leasing equipment; buying goods, services, or support.
Public Assistance Advisory Council: AB 1044/SB 870 creates a public assistance advisory council to review proposed changes to public assistance programs like Medicaid and FoodShare.

4. WI has not Expanded Medicaid- 33 States have

5. Lots Happening At DHS Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy
Comments due April 21
Waiver for BadgerCare Childless Adults: drug testing, work requirements, co-pays, premiums, health risk assessments
SSI Managed Care Expansion
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Personal Care
Rolling out in 2019

6. Looking Ahead Expect to see more legislation on:
Care coordination/ cost-effectiveness in Medicaid
Attempts to address provider shortages
Health Care Market Stability / Future of the Affordable Care Act
Medicaid Expansion or Buy-in programs

7. Most Important Thing You Can Do Today!
Let lawmakers know how important Medicaid and health care access are to your family!
Tell lawmakers how you use Medicaid and what it would mean for you if it changed
Remind lawmakers that people who use Medicaid or safety net programs need to be at the table when changes are discussed

8. A Threat to Medicaid is a Threat to…
…my son's future

9. Personal Care/ Direct Care
What you can say: We are happy that lawmakers took steps to address the direct care workforce crisis but more funding is needed to end the crisis in the community because these services have been underfunded for so long. Please consider passing a family caregiver tax credit to help families with caregiving costs and making the Family Care direct care funding permanent.
What you can share: Tell a story about how you are impacted by the direct care workforce crisis. Share why care in the community is important.

10. Access Issues
What you can say: We want to thank you for the investments you have made to end the waiting lists for kids and adults who need long-term care. There are still access issues in our system, like provider shortages and the prior authorization process, that must be addressed. What you can share: Stories about lag-times with prior auth. Or services being reduced or denied. Stories about having trouble finding needed providers.

11. No Changes Without Stakeholder Input
As lawmakers think about what types of bills they want to introduce next session, remind them that the people who use public programs have ideas and should be at the table. What you can say: People with disabilities rely on key public assistance programs to live their daily lives; even minor changes can have major unintended consequences. Program reforms need to be developed with the people who use the programs. The Public Assistance Advisory Council Bill (AB 1044/SB 870) is a good model. What you can share: your ideas for making programs work better.

12. The Future of Medicaid Funding
Even small changes to federal Medicaid funding have BIG impacts on Wisconsin’s Medicaid programs.
What you can say: Please don’t cut Medicaid. A threat to Medicaid is a threat to…my child’s ability to live in the community, my child’s ability to work, my child’s ability to be independent…
What you can share: Tell lawmakers about the importance of Medicaid for people with disabilities and what changes to Medicaid programs would mean for your family.

13. A Threat to Medicaid is a Threat to…
Medicaid Funds Over 20 Wisconsin Programs
BadgerCare
Family Care
IRIS
PACE
Partnership
Children’s Long Term Support Program
MAPP
Legacy Waivers (COP/CIP)
Targeted Case Management
SeniorCare
ADRCs
Birth-to-3
Katie Beckett
Well Woman
SSI Managed Care
Wisconsin Chronic Disease Program
Forward Health Card
Community Support Program
Community Recovery Services
Comprehensive Community Services
School-based services and therapies