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Baldwin Asks Governor to Delay BadgerCare Change

Wisconsin plans to drop 77,000 people from BadgerCare on Dec. 31, but problems plague the new federal exchange, where they're supposed to go for health insurance.

As a result of the approaching cut off, Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin is asking Republican Gov. Scott Walker to allow those affected to remain on BadgerCare through March, giving them more time to purchase a private health plan via the exchange.

In order to obtain coverage by January first, people must select a plan and pay its premium by Dec. 15.

This week, the state Dept. of Health Services began mailing paper copies of the federal exchange application to the 77,000 households that will lose state coverage, come January. The federal government's online system for enrolling has been steeped in problems.

Gov. Walker decided to provide health coverage to all Wisconsin adults living at the poverty line or below, and to push those above into the federal marketplace, starting in January. The same will occur to households with children, if the adults in the family earn more than 300% of poverty. Walker says the state cannot afford to bear a higher health care burden.