BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid Renewal Information

BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid Defined

In the state of Wisconsin, BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid are two separate medical insurance programs for low income participants.  Often times, these two programs are referred to interchangeably which can be confusing for patients as well as health providers. BadgerCare Plus supports adults ages 19-64 with income at or below the 100% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and children and pregnant women at or below 300% FPL who do not otherwise have access to insurance (to view the FPL income levels based on family size for the state of Wisconsin please click here). Medicaid is a state and federal program that provides health coverage for low-income Wisconsin residents who are elderly, blind, or disabled.

Another term sometimes used interchangeably in the state of Wisconsin for BadgerCare Plus is ACCESS.  ACCESS is actually the program used to connect low-income residents to the various Wisconsin benefit programs including BadgerCare Plus, Food Share and the Child Care Subsidy Program.

Important Renewal Information

During the COVID period, a Public Health Emergency was declared and regular eligibility checks were not conducted. Now that the Public Health Emergency has passed, BadgerCare Plus and some Wisconsin Medicaid programs are now reevaluating eligibility on all participants.

Fort HealthCare wants to remind patients to submit their renewals in time to maintain coverage. Each individual/family has been assigned a health care renewal month between June 2023 and May 2024. You may renew two weeks prior to the month you have been assigned or two weeks into the assigned month. For an exact schedule of the “just right” renewal window, please click here. It is important to renew your benefits during the timeframe suggested to avoid any delays in coverage or gaps.

If you are uncertain of your renewal month, refer to the letter you received from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in late March or early April. If you do not have a copy of that letter, you can log into ACCESS Wisconsin | Apply for and manage state of Wisconsin benefits to determine your renewal month and dates.

Sources:

Health Care Renewals | Wisconsin Department of Health Services