The Wisconsin state Senate voted Thursday to extend the deadline by three months for citizens scheduled to switch over from BadgerCare to the federal exchange system.
The bill, which the state Assembly approved Dec. 5., aligns the state and federal deadlines for citizens transferring to the federal exchange system due to a rocky rollout of the Affordable Care Act. The bill extends coverage for 75,000 people scheduled to transfer to the federal exchange but leaves 80,000 childless adults without coverage for three months.
Majority leader Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the bill makes sense and is responsible. Fitzgerald also said he realized the bill was not addressing all parties in Wisconsin, and he predicted the Senate would be back in the new year to discuss health care again.
“I’m not happy where we are now,” Fitzgerald said.
Democrats criticized the bill for leaving 80,000 people without coverage during the new year.
Sen. Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, called the Republican’s plan to exclude the 80,000 adults “grinch like.” Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, told the Senate body the bill could include citizens being moved from BadgerCare to the federal exchange and those scheduled to move onto BadgerCare. He said the choice senators made today was “not an either or choice.”
The Senate approved the Assembly bill 18-12, which will now move to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk. Walker must make a decision six days after the officially receiving of the bill.
