Wisconsin: Good News: Medicaid enrollment up 97K! Bad News: 38K kicked off of Medicaid!

As deaconblues notes, a mixed bag. Scott Walker kicked 63,000 people off of Medicaid, of which 38,000 weren't able to receive coverage of any sort. On the plus side, over 97,000 additional people were added to Medicaid coverage.

So, if I'm reading this correctly, it sounds like Wisconsin's Medicaid program added around 160,000 people but lost 63,000 to get the net of +97K.

Coverage ended in April for 62,776 people who earn too much to remain on Medicaid; they had until June 1 to buy the federally subsidized insurance offered through the federal online marketplace where applicants can shop for plans.

The new DHS numbers show that 30 percent, or nearly 19,000 people, purchased a plan through the exchange by the June deadline. Nearly 5,900 more, or 9 percent, either became Medicaid-eligible and received coverage through the state's BadgerCare Plus program or were enrolled in both Medicaid and the exchange.

But the majority of people, 61 percent or about 38,000, did not get coverage through either means. DHS Secretary Kitty Rhodes noted they may be uninsured, purchased a private plan not sold on the exchange, obtained coverage through an employer or gotten on their spouse's insurance.

She cautioned that because of those unknowns, the figures did not give a complete picture of the choices made by people who lost Medicaid coverage.

The new figures are disappointing and reinforce the concern that the marketplace is not a viable option for many low-income families who would have been covered thanks to federal funding, said Jon Peacock, research director for the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families.

...Walker did expand Medicaid coverage to all childless adults, ending a waiting list. His administration reported Wednesday that 97,509 additional people had obtained Medicaid coverage through June 30.