The Medicaid programs in every state include coverage for the health care needs of women who are pregnant. In Wisconsin, the program is called BadgerCare Plus for Pregnant Women. Wisconsin also has a program that covers family planning services, and one that covers breast cancer treatment.
Medicaid is a public, or government run, health insurance program. It is designed to cover individuals and families that are low-income and that cannot afford to purchase a health insurance plan from a private health insurance company. Medicaid is funded, in part, by the federal government. Medicaid is also funded by the government of an individual state.
In Wisconsin, the Medicaid program is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. This includes ForwardHealth and BadgerCare Plus. A person can apply for coverage from any of the programs that is included within ForwardHealth or BadgerCare Plus by starting at the ACCESS website.
BadgerCare Plus for Pregnant Women covers prenatal care, doctor and clinic visits, dental care, prescription drugs (including prenatal drugs), and labor and delivery. A pregnant woman can also get temporary health insurance coverage for pregnancy related services for up to two months before she applies for the regular BadgerCare Plus program.
To be eligible for BadgerCare Plus for Pregnant Women, a woman must have her pregnancy verified by a health care provider. Her family’s gross monthly income must be at, or below, the federal poverty limits. Pregnant women with income between 200% and 300% of the federal poverty level who are insured must keep their insurance. Women who are above 300% of the federal poverty level will have to pay a deductible before they can get BadgerCare Plus coverage.
There is no premiums or co-payments under BadgerCare Plus for pregnant women (who meet the federal poverty level limit and who are uninsured). There is no co-payment for pregnancy related services for all pregnant women covered by BadgerCare Plus for Pregnant Women.
Wisconsin also has Family Planning- Only services. It covers contraceptive services and supplies, “natural family planning supplies”, family planning pharmacy visits, pap tests, tubal ligation, tests and treatment for STD’s, and routine preventive primary services related to family planning.
It does not cover abortion. In Wisconsin, both public and private insurance plans are banned from covering abortion in a health insurance policy.
The Wisconsin Well Woman Medicaid program covers women who have been diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer, and who are in need of treatment. This program allows certain women to get full Medicaid benefits.
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