|
CONTACT: Stephanie Smiley, (608) 266-3412
INCREASED ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE FOR CHILDREN QUALIFIES STATE FOR
FEDERAL BONUS
Wisconsin Receives $23.1 Million Performance Bonus for 2010
MADISON—Increased access to health care services for children
through the BadgerCare Plus program qualified Wisconsin for a federal
bonus of $23.1 million for this year, federal officials announced today.
The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA)
provides performance bonus payments to encourage states to enroll more
uninsured Medicaid-eligible children and help offset increased enrollment
costs.
Wisconsin received the bonus from the federal Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS) because the average number of children enrolled
monthly in Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) increased by
121,000 between 2007 and 2010. Wisconsin received the second largest bonus
in the country.
"When we implemented BadgerCare Plus, we made it easier for kids
and many of their parents to enroll and get the care they need to stay
healthy," said Karen Timberlake, Department of Health Services
Secretary. "By simplifying the enrollment process, Wisconsin has
helped extend health care coverage to thousands of children who were
already eligible for BadgerCare but whose families had trouble navigating
the complexities of the application process. Receiving this bonus payment
confirms that we are on the right track with BadgerCare Plus and will help
us continue to meet the health care needs of thousands of Wisconsin
children."
To qualify for bonus payments during a fiscal year, states are required
to implement steps that simplify the program's application and renewal
process. Wisconsin changed its program to allow families to complete only
one application form for both the Medicaid and CHIP programs, eliminated
the in-person application requirement, streamlined the benefit renewal
process, no longer required that a family's assets fall below a certain
level for children to receive health care, and made it voluntary for
BadgerCare Plus families to enroll in a program to purchase employer
sponsored health insurance.
The performance bonus payments will continue through 2013, with
qualification based on the increased number of children enrolled in
Medicaid and CHIP programs each year.
# # #
Last Revised: December 27, 2010
|
