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Consumer Guide to Health Care


If You Cannot Afford Health Insurance

If you are having trouble affording health insurance on your own, you may be eligible for health insurance through one of the government programs described below. If you are unsure about whether or not you qualify, contact your local county or tribal human or social services department, call the Recipient Services Hotline at 1-800-362-3002, or try Wisconsin’s ACCESS (exit DHS) Web site where you can find out if you might be eligible for state health and nutrition programs.

  • Medicaid, also known as Medical Assistance, is a program offered jointly by the state and federal governments. You may qualify for Medicaid if you meet certain financial eligibility requirements and are pregnant, under age 19, age 65 or older, blind or disabled, or a relative caretaker of a deprived child.*  For more information, you can call Wisconsin's Recipient Services Hotline at 1-800-362-3002.

  • BadgerCare Plus: Beginning in February 2008, BadgerCare Plus is a new health insurance program available to all Wisconsin children, regardless of income. Others who may be eligible include pregnant women, parents and caretakers, young adults who are leaving foster care when they turn 18, and farmers and self-employed people. Find out if you are eligible for BadgerCare Plus and other health and nutrition programs by visiting ACCESS, (exit DHS) or call 1-800-362-3002.

More information

If you'd like to find out more about health-related and other government programs that might be available to you, try BenefitsCheckUp (exit DHS), a service of The National Council on the Aging (exit DHS), or GovBenefits.gov (exit DHS). These sites use free, confidential questionnaires to help you find public programs that may pay for some health-care-related costs.

* A deprived child is a child who has one or both parents absent from the home or has both parents in the home but one parent is incapacitated, unemployed, or an offender working without pay. The caretaker must be a relative of the child to be covered by Medicaid.

Last Revised: July 29, 2008