Over 1.6 Million Wisconsin Residents Will Need to Apply to Renew Medicaid Enrollment

Sunday, March 12th, 2023 -- 11:00 AM

(By Sarah Lehr, Wisconsin Public Radio) More than 1.6 million Wisconsinites will soon need to apply to renew their Medicaid enrollment or risk losing health coverage.

According to Sarah Lehr with Wisconsin Public Radio, in exchange for extra funding to state health departments during the COVID-19 public health emergency, Congress passed a law in March 2020 that prevented states from kicking people out of Medicaid programs.

That meant many of those already enrolled as of mid-March 2020 could stay enrolled without needing to renew. But that is set to change after federal lawmakers voted in December of last year to phase out the continuous coverage requirement.

Now, state health officials are warning the more than 1.6 million Wisconsin residents enrolled in BadgerCare Plus and other Medicaid programs to be on the lookout for renewal deadlines that will come up between June 2023 and May 2024.

They're also urging Wisconsinites to update their contact information in their online Access portals, so the health department can send them a packet, which will let them know when they have 45 days to renew.

Members should not attempt to renew coverage until they receive that packet, since renewing too early could result in premature termination of existing coverage, state officials say.

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