Wisconsin Medicaid Expansion: Do I Qualify for Medicaid Under the ACA?

 

Not all states have expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Learn where Wisconsin stands.

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The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) expanded Medicaid eligibility to include more people who couldn’t otherwise obtain health insurance. As written, the ACA would extend Medicaid to all adults with incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. (For a single person in Wisconsin in 2023, that’s $20,120. For a family of four, it’s $41,400.)

However, the U.S. Supreme Court later ruled that it was up to individual states to decide whether to expand Medicaid. As of December 2023, only 10 states have not expanded their programs. 

Wisconsin Has Not Expanded Medicaid

Wisconsin has repeatedly rejected federal funding to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but the state is unique in that its Medicaid program -- called BadgerCare -- covers all state residents with incomes up to the federal poverty level. That makes Wisconsin the only non-Medicaid-expansion state without a coverage gap -- that is, a failure to provide coverage or subsidies for many adults with incomes under the poverty level.

If you're a low-income Wisconsin resident, you'll most likely qualify for BadgerCare or be eligible for subsidies to help you purchase health insurance at Healthcare.gov.

Find Out What Health Plans and Programs You Qualify For

To learn whether you're eligible for BadgerCare in Wisconsin, contact the Wisconsin Medicaid office.

You can also find out whether you qualify when you apply for health insurance at Healthcare.gov. If you don’t meet Wisconsin’s Medicaid requirements, Healthcare.gov will show you the private health insurance plans available to you. You may still be eligible for significant cost-saving subsidies based on your income and family size.

For more information, see Ways to Save Money on Obamacare in Wisconsin.


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Jurisdictional relevance: ST

There are versions of this article for each State.



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