Gov. Evers Hosts Badger Bounceback Live Session on Healthcare Affordability and Accessibility in Wisconsin

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers will this week host the second of six virtual Badger Bounceback Live Sessions to discuss his 2021-23 budget proposal. As highlighted in a video message from the governor, the listening session will cover topics including expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare, protecting people who have pre-existing conditions, investing in mental health services, expanding BadgerCare, and investing in caregiving and long-term care for aging and older adults and people with disabilities.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on Accessible & Affordable Healthcare will occur on Thurs., March 25, 2021, at 6 p.m. Wisconsinites are invited to register to attend here. The live session will also be live streamed and available to watch any time on the governor’s YouTube channel here.

“Healthcare shouldn’t be a privilege afforded only to the healthy and wealthy, and if there’s anything we’ve learned this year it’s that the health and wellness of our state and our economy depend on the health and wellness of our communities,” said Gov. Evers. “That’s why our Badger Bounceback budget tackles healthcare accessibility and affordability head-on by expanding BadgerCare and making key investments so every Wisconsinite can lead a healthy life.”

The governor’s Badger Bounceback budget proposal ensures families, communities, and the state can bounce back and better by expanding BadgerCare to provide coverage to tens of thousands of additional Wisconsinites while providing approximately $1.6 billion in costs savings to our state and drawing down $3.7 billion from the federal government in funds that would otherwise be going to other states. A Marquette University Law Poll found that 70 percent of Wisconsinites support expanding BadgerCare in Wisconsin. In addition to expanding BadgerCare, among many other provisions, the governor is also proposing:

• Tackling skyrocketing prescription drug prices by controlling costs, increasing transparency and oversight, strengthening consumer protections, and bolstering programs designed to support Wisconsin’s most vulnerable;
• Investing more than $150 million in initiatives and programs designed to improve Wisconsinite’s access to quality mental and behavioral health services and treatment;
• Strengthening public health infrastructure by making the largest GPR public health investment in at least the last 20 years;
• Supporting our caregivers and long-term care community by building upon the work of the governor’s Task Force on Caregiving and investing more than $600 million in Wisconsin’s long-term care infrastructure, direct care workforce, and family caregivers;
• Reducing barriers to telehealth services, which are often more convenient and affordable for patients, by ensuring access and coverage; and
• Promoting health equity initiatives and addresses disparities with key investments in maternal and infant health, women’s health, community-based health equity initiatives, and addressing health determinants like housing, nutrition, and transportation.

More on the governor’s proposals to increase healthcare accessibility and affordability is available here.

A full schedule of the Badger Bounceback Live Sessions is available below and on the governor’s website here.

Badger Bounceback Live Session on Accessible & Affordable Healthcare Thurs., March 25, 2021, at 6 p.m. Register to attend here.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on Healthcare will cover topics such as expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare, protecting people who have pre-existing conditions, investing in mental health services, Medicaid/BadgerCare expansion, caregiving, and long-term care for aging and older adults and folks with disabilities.

Badger Bounceback Live Session on Transportation & Infrastructure Tues., March 30, 2021, at 6 p.m. Register to attend here.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on Transportation & Infrastructure will cover topics such as investments in transportation and infrastructure, fixing our roads and bridges, investing in transit and transportation alternatives, expanding access to broadband, and supporting local communities and government.

Badger Bounceback Live Session on What’s Best for Our Kids Thurs., April 8, 2021, at 6 p.m. Register to attend here.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on What’s Best for Our Kids will cover topics such as ensuring every kid has access to a high-quality, public education, providing mental health supports for students at schools, special education reimbursement rates, expanding access to early childhood education and childcare, and investing in our higher education institutions.

Badger Bounceback Live Session on Justice Reform & Marijuana Legalization Wed., April 14, 2021, at 6 p.m. Register to attend here.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on Justice Reform & Marijuana Legalization will cover topics such as addressing racial disparities in our justice system, legalizing medical and recreational marijuana, investing in treatment, rehabilitation, and other alternatives to incarceration, and programming to support safe community reentry.

Badger Bounceback Live Session on Climate Change & Our Environment Wed., April 21, 2021, at 6 p.m. Register to attend here.

The Badger Bounceback Live Session on Climate Change & Our Environment will cover topics such as investing in stewardship and making public lands more accessible, addressing lead poisoning prevention, keeping our water clean, addressing climate change and the climate crisis, and protecting our state’s natural resources.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.