Growing Movement of County Leaders Seeks Way to Access Federal Medicaid Funds
Supervisors from 30 counties now support the goal of accepting federal Medicaid funds to guarantee health coverage access
For Immediate Release- Monday, August 26, 2013
Contact(s):
Robert Kraig (414) 322-5324 robert.kraig@citizenactionwi.
Kevin Kane (414) 550-8280 kevin.kane@citizenactionwi.org
Statewide – In a letter to Secretary Kitty Rhoades of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, county supervisors from 10 additional counties raised their voices in support of the proposal signed by leaders from 20 counties to to enable Wisconsin counties to accept federal Medicaid funds that Gov. Walker and the Legislature turned down.
County leaders are calling for a new waiver allowing counties to access these desperately needed Medicaid funds, citing the experience of Cuyahoga County in Ohio in accessing federal funds at the local level.
Cuyahoga County’s waiver request to receive federal Medicaid funding rejected by Ohio was approved by the federal government this spring. This model allows the county to provide needed services to individuals under 138% of the federal poverty line. Like Wisconsin, Ohio has yet to accept enhanced federal Medicaid funding under the Affordable Care Act.
“County leaders from around Wisconsin are stepping up to deal pragmatically with one of the worst state budget decisions in the modern history of Wisconsin,” said Robert Kraig, Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. “County officials are leading because the Governor and the Legislature are trying to slam the door on tens of thousands of average Wisconsinites who just want the freedom and opportunity to obtain affordable health care for themselves and their families.”
The letter to the Department of Health Services can be found here.
The Wisconsin counties with leaders who have signed the new letter requesting a waiver are Ashland, Buffalo, Douglas, Fond du Lac, Lafayette, Portage, Rock, Vilas, Wood, Vernon
The Counties with leaders who have signed the initial letter requesting a waiver are Sheboygan, Kenosha, Iowa, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Brown, Marathon, Milwaukee, Dane, Winnebago, Lincoln, Oneida, Manitowoc, Dunn, Richland, Jefferson, Racine, Outagamie, Columbia, Brown
