I support work requirementsfor able-bodied, childless adults, of working age to receive taxpayer funded benefits. These protections help strengthen important programs for those they were designed for - pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.
Unfortunately, misinformation is currently being spread about work requirements and Medicaid. You may have heard or seen these claims.
If you are like me, you probably tune out a lot of the negative noise out there. But some claims so badly misrepresent important issues that I think we need to set the facts straight.
I support protecting and preserving important government programs like Medicaidand CHIP for those they were designed for - pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.
Medicaid provides health coverage to families, children, pregnant women, low-income seniors, and disabled Americans.
CHIP is a supplemental program that provides coverage to children and pregnant women whose families earn too much for traditional Medicaid but do not have private insurance, or whose insurance does not cover all necessary services.
Medicaid, sometimes called Badgercare in Wisconsin, is different than Medicare.
Medicare provides healthcare coverage for seniors.
I strongly support protecting and preserving Medicare and Social Security for seniors.
Recently, shadowy misinformation has spread regarding my vote to support work requirementsin Medicaid. Of course, since work requirements are overwhelmingly popular with families, this misinformation never mentions work requirements.
Instead, some claims make misleading accusations regarding important programs. Even worse, they imply that children in real need could suffer as a result. That is false, and you deserve to have the facts.
These false claims imply, but do not explicitly state that recently passed legislation creating work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults of working age will cause children to lose healthcare.
The reason these claims only imply this and don't explicitly state it, is because there are no changes in recent law to coverage for eligible children in Wisconsin under Medicaid. The only changes affecting the CHIP program are administrative changes affecting eligibility verification and requiring eligibility checks twice a year.
Additionally, Medicaid spending will continue to increase under new law - only in Washington would someone tell you an increase is a cut.
In Wisconsin, these misleading claims are really arguing against targeted work requirements and basic fraud preventionthat ensure programs like Medicaid and CHIP are protected and preserved for those they were designed to serve: pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.
Here are the facts about recent changes in federal law and what this misinformation effort is really arguing against:
Work Requirements and Medicaid Reform in Law
Medicaid is a federal program that provides healthcare coverage to certain individuals. Recent law includes targeted reforms to protect and strengthen Medicaid. These reforms include:
Commonsense work requirements for able-bodied, childless adults to work, look for work, go to school, or volunteer at least 20 hours per week to receive taxpayer funded benefits.
These reforms will save taxpayers $317 billionover the next ten years. This is what they are calling a cut.
Wisconsin voters supported these work requirements, with 80% of families voting in favor.
Arguments against this provision are arguing against an issue with broad nonpartisan support.
Strengthened eligibility integrity measures to help remove deceased individuals, duplicate enrollees, and individuals who are ineligible for federal programs like Medicaid.
One report found that taxpayers spend $4.3 billion covering the same Medicaid patients twice.
Fully protects Medicaid for those the program was designed to serve: pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.
Medicaid spending will increase over the next decade, going from $650 billion in FY25 to $800 billionin FY35
I want to hear from you:
Do you believe able-bodied, childless adults should demonstrate they are working, looking for work, going to school, or volunteering for 20 hours a week in order to receive Medicaid benefits?
Increasing eligibility checks from once a year to twice a year to prevent fraud
Ensuring that states are not engaged in duplicative billing for a single CHIP recipient
No changes were made to children's access to Medicaid or CHIP in Wisconsin. Eligible children will continue to receive full access to the coverage they need.
Medicaid Data in Wisconsin
Work requirements are only for able-bodied childless adults of working age.
1.2 millionWisconsinites receive care through Medicaid.
195,000Medicaid recipients are able-bodied childless adults of working age.
63,000recipients - less than 5% - do not currently document that they meet the new work requirements.
Wisconsinites work hard. There is broad agreement that able-bodied childless adults should be working to receive benefits paid for by taxpayers.
Improving Healthcare Access and Affordability
In addition to these important reforms I continue my work to strengthen federal health programs and lower healthcare costs for working families. This includes:
