MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled budget committee has rejected a federally funded expansion of Wisconsin's BadgerCare Medicaid program.
The Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 Tuesday along party lines to go along with Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal and reject the expansion.
Democrats argue rejecting the expansion doesn't make sense because it will cost the state about $150 million more to provide coverage to nearly 85,000 fewer people. Walker's plan lowers Medicaid eligibility to those earning 100 percent of poverty, not the current 200 percent.
Republicans say Walker's plan is adding certainty and there's no guarantee the federal government would pay for expansion.
They note that Walker's plan removes a cap on a program for childless adults, a move estimated to extend coverage to more than 82,000 people earning at or below poverty.
