Tony Evers could bring significant changes to health care in Wisconsin
Evers, a Democrat, might face resistance in the Republican-controlled Legislature to fully expanding Medicaid as allowed by the health care law, which Gov.
Evers has said he'll move to withdraw
It's not clear if the new governor will embrace a more far-reaching goal of some
After eight years of Walker's opposition to the health care law and his tightening of eligibility for Medicaid, Evers will bring support for both programs, said
"The Evers administration is going to take a completely different approach and posture toward the Affordable Care Act and promotion of coverage for individuals through it," Friedsam said. "It's going to (bring a) change in the posture toward Medicaid and what the functioning of the program and the purpose of the program is."
Evers spokesman
Voters in three of those states --
Among the non-expansion states,
That shifted about 63,000 adults off Medicaid while allowing about 130,000 childless adults onto the program, with the state paying its regular 40 percent share for them.
Evers is expected to factor more than
"It will be a hard thing for legislators to reverse, to fill the hole that would create in the budget bill," Peacock said.
However, legislative leaders may not be on board. "Medicaid expansion is not on the list of priorities for the Assembly," said
Evers and
The case was argued before a federal judge in
That raises the question of whether
In addition, Evers could take more steps than Walker might have to shore up protections for people with pre-existing conditions and keep the marketplace viable in the state if the lawsuit is successful, Friedsam said.
Evers likely won't implement the Medicaid work requirement recently approved for childless adults, or the related premiums or co-pays, Friedsam and Peacock said. But they said he might continue other elements of Walker's plan, such as extending coverage of residential treatment for substance abuse to anyone on Medicaid.
Evers isn't bound by the Medicaid changes proposed by Walker and approved by the Trump administration, said
But Evers didn't commit to the idea during the campaign. He said only that he'd try to do it by the end of his first term but may not include it in his initial budget.
The concept is similar to the national proposal of Medicare for All, but a key difference is that Medicaid payments to doctors and hospitals are lower than Medicare payments, Friedsam said. "I think it will be a very difficult sell," she said.
Friedsam said Evers likely will continue Walker's reinsurance program, which had bipartisan support and has curbed premium increases on the marketplace.
The new governor could restrict the availability of short-term insurance plans and association health plans, which have been expanded by the Trump administration, Friedsam said. Neither of the alternative options has to cover "essential benefits," such as maternity care, mental health and prescription drugs. Short-term plans also don't have to cover pre-existing conditions.
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