Shirley Young, 47, co-owner of Young Earth Farm, is one of 41,000 low-income adults without dependent children expected to receive health coverage under BadgerCare Plus when it expands July 15. Photo by Karol Niemann, courtesy of Shirley Young

Shirley Young, a Dodge County farmer, is hoping for a healthier life when Wisconsin expands BadgerCare Plus coverage on July 15 to low-income adults with no dependent children.

The 47-year-old, who until now could not afford insurance, will have access to annual physicals, cholesterol testing and more through a health maintenance organization.

“You make a choice where you spend your money—groceries, gasoline, the needs for the business here as well as gas for the furnace,” Young said. “If money’s tight, the doctor is the last place you go to spend your money.”

LaDon Swan, 51, a Milwaukee woman who became homeless after her certified nursing assistant job was eliminated, said the prospect of more comprehensive health care has “given me hope.”

Staying at the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge, she gets some care at its free clinic and at a community health center for her depression, high blood pressure, back pain and an enlarged thyroid.

The two women are among an estimated 41,000 Wisconsin adults without dependent children expected to be enrolled when the program expands statewide. The program initially drew 15,000 in Milwaukee County.

“This is a very important next step in Gov. [Jim] Doyle’s effort to make sure that nearly all people in Wisconsin have access to comprehensive, affordable health insurance,” said Karen Timberlake, secretary of the Department of Health Services.

With the expansion, 98 percent of Wisconsin residents will have access to health insurance—coverage that is second only to that of Massachusetts.

The state’s 2008 profile of those eligible shows 57 percent were men, 38 percent had one or more chronic health condition, 40 percent worked full time, 17 percent worked part time and 38 percent were unemployed.

They include Kenosha County restaurant operators Gaetano Binanti, 55, and his wife, Linda, 47. They dropped their private insurance when premiums hit $1,200 a month but were covered under BadgerCare until last year, when their youngest child turned 19. Now they pay $250 a month for his diabetes-related prescriptions.

Launched in 1999 to provide basic coverage for more children in low-income families, BadgerCare expanded last year to BadgerCare Plus to cover all children, more pregnant women, foster parents and children who become too old for foster care.

AARP Wisconsin supported the statewide BadgerCare Plus expansion through member advocacy with the Democratic governor, testimony before the legislature and statewide advertisements.

To qualify, applicants cannot earn more than $21,660 annually for one person, $29,140 for a married couple. They cannot have had access to private or employer-sponsored health insurance in the last year. The plan covers doctor visits, hospital services and some prescriptions—mainly generics—but not vision or dental care. There is a $5 copay for medicines.

Enrollment opens June 15 online and by phone at 1-800-291-2002, with a nonrefundable $60 application fee. The website offers details on what is covered and copayments.

“Wisconsinites by the thousands are feeling the pain of a broken health care system and an economy that is worsening every day,” said Jim Flaherty, AARP associate state director for communications. “Many younger AARP members—ages 50 to 64—struggle to find decent health care at a price they can afford on limited incomes. BadgerCare Plus will allow these people to treat illnesses earlier, before they become more serious and more costly to treat.”

Tom Heinen is a freelance writer living in Wauwatosa, Wis.

Photo Credit: LaDon Swan, 51, turned to the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge’s clinic in Milwaukee for health services after her job as a certified nursing assistant was eliminated.
Photo by Darren Hauck