MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Low-income childless adults on Wisconsin’s BadgerCare Plus Medicaid program may have to pay higher premiums if they engage in risky behavior.
The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee approved Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal that could lead to the change as part of a wide-ranging Medicaid motion Thursday.
Walker is requesting federal approval to charge premiums to the program’s roughly 157,000 participants. Higher charges could be assessed to people who engage in unspecified risky behaviors that could affect their health such as smoking or being obese.
Walker hasn’t specified what premiums would be charged or whether there would be penalties for those who can’t pay.
The committee tweaked the proposal to require Walker’s administration to submit details of its plan and the fiscal impact before requesting the federal waiver.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.