WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/16/08) - The Wisconsin BadgerCare Plus program is providing high-quality, comprehensive care to 77,000 Wisconsin residents, including over 50,000 children. The good news is that a recent study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that chronically ill Wisconsin children in the BadgerCare Plus program receive the same access to health care services as children with private insurance. However, the bad news is that the totally uninsured go without the same necessary care.

“While this study is great news for our state’s health care coverage programs, it is also a reminder of the importance of health care for kids and making sure that all kids in our state receive the health care they need,” Governor Jim Doyle said.

“I am proud that here in Wisconsin, through BadgerCare Plus, quality, affordable health care is available for all children,” Doyle continued.

BadgerCare Plus offers health coverage to every child in Wisconsin by streamlining Medicaid, BadgerCare and Healthy Start into one comprehensive program. Income-eligible families are able to enroll their children in BadgerCare Plus at no charge or buy into the program at a reasonable cost depending on their income.

Since Governor Doyle launched BadgerCare Plus launched on February 1, 2008, more than 77,000 individuals have enrolled in the program, including more than 50,000 kids.

“A Needed Lifeline: Chronically Ill Children and Public Health Coverage” was released Thursday, August 14, 2008 by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to kick off its annual Cover the Uninsured Back-to-School Campaign. The campaign is a nationwide effort to enroll eligible children in public health coverage programs during the back-to-school season.

The data in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study shows how important safety net programs like BadgerCare Plus are for kids, especially those who need health care to treat serious, ongoing illnesses.

The report can be found at www.rwjf.org.

For more information about BadgerCare Plus visit www.BadgerCarePlus.org, call 1-800-362-3002 or contact your local county or tribal human services agency.