Gov. Evers Makes Critical Investments in Health Care Coverage and Access

Today, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) highlights critical portions of Gov. Evers‘ 2025-27 DHS budget proposal, which was introduced February 18, 2025.

“Building on his declaration of 2025 as the Year of the Kid, Governor Evers’ budget supports health kids, families, and communities across the state,” said DHS Secretary Kirsten Johnson. “This budget makes critical investments in public health, health care access and coverage, mental health, and long-term care, prioritizing the health and well-being of every Wisconsinite.”

Some of the highlights include:

Protecting public health

Public health activities lay the groundwork for healthy communities. They protect us from diseases and injury we cannot prevent alone and help us change behaviors harmful to our health. Compared to the rest of the nation, Wisconsin has been significantly underfunding its public health efforts for years. In the face of emerging and long-standing health challenges, Gov. Evers’ budget makes transformational investments into our public health system.

The budget invests in initiatives to keep kids and families safe from harmful lead exposure by removing it from service lines, homes, schools, child care centers, and communities and helping local health departments carry out more lead investigations. It also builds on efforts to fight PFAS contamination and ensure Wisconsinites have access to clean, safe drinking water.

To address major challenges in recruiting and keeping staff, Gov. Evers has proposed $50 million to cities, towns, and villages to expand and improve emergency medical services (EMS), who provide life-saving treatment to Wisconsinites every day.

Gov. Evers makes a number investments to programs that support maternal and child health, including a proposal to extend postpartum coverage from 60 days after birth of a baby to a full year to help maintain access to coverage and reduce disparities in postpartum follow-up care for chronic conditions associated with mortality rates. The budget also includes provisions for maternal and child health service coordination grants, adopting federal newborn screening recommendations, and funding diaper banks to provide diapers to families in need.

To help prevent cardiac-related health incidents in student athletes, the budget provides $4 million for an electrocardiogram screening pilot program in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. This pilot will be crucial in identifying any best practices and strategies for consideration in developing a future potential statewide expansion of the screening program.

The budget invests $12 million in dental health initiatives, including grants for low-income dental clinics and funding to grow our dental workforce, to improve access for the hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who struggle to access dental services.

Making health care more affordable and accessible

For the fourth consecutive biennium, BadgerCare Plus expansion is the cornerstone of the budget proposal for DHS. This would expand high-quality, low-cost health care coverage to an estimated 95,800 low-income Wisconsinites and save the state $1.9 billion over the biennium. Expanding access to quality health care services makes it easier for enrollees to afford other expenses like food, housing, and paying down their debts. Forty other states have already expanded their Medicaid programs and experienced positive outcomes as more people gain access to needed treatment and care, hospitals stay open, and jobs and the economy grow.

Gov. Evers’ budget supports the state’s hospitals by raising hospital reimbursement by $3.2 billion, with a $15 million supplement for hospitals that treat kids. The budget also addresses the critical need created by the closing of two hospitals in Western Wisconsin by providing $15 million to support patients in that area access care.

To ensure Wisconsinites can access care they need, the budget provides $71 million in targeted payment increases for rural health clinics, childbirth, certain opioid use disorder treatment, autism treatment, and tube-feeding.

In addition to expanding health care access, Gov. Evers’ budget takes steps to hold health insurers accountable in order to lower costs, improve transparency, and protect Wisconsinites. These include auditing insurers who deny claims at high rates, cracking down on price gouging, lowering out-of-pocket health care costs, reigning in excessive prior authorization of services, reducing appointment wait times and enabling Wisconsinites to get health care closer to home.

Wisconsin’s health care system depends on the dedication and compassion of those working on the frontlines in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in emergency medical services who help achieve positive health outcomes for patients throughout the state, support residents, and deliver quality care. Gov. Evers’ budget invests in the health care workforce through Medicaid coverage of community health workers, doulas, and certified peer specialists, as well as $7.5 million for recruitment and retention grants, and $2.5 million for health care provider training. It also provides support for the WisCaregiver Careers program and recent graduates of mental health provider programs.

Investing in mental health and crisis services

Mental health and crisis services remain critical as Wisconsin’s kids, families, and workforce continue to struggle finding the help they need. Gov. Evers’ budget continues to build on past efforts to support Wisconsin’s mental and behavioral health infrastructure, especially as levels of anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts among youth across the state continue to rise at concerning rates.

The budget invests nearly $300 million to provide comprehensive mental health services in schools statewide, including programs aimed at offering mental health trainings to schools, parents and guardians, and students, bolstering mental health literacy and stigma reduction in schools, and hiring more pupil services professionals such as school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and school nurses.

Gov. Evers’ budget includes investments to help Wisconsinites in all stages of life access behavioral health services and receive care closer to home. This includes developing up to two crisis urgent care and observation centers that would serve as crisis service hubs and offer a range of behavioral health services to everyone from walk-in appointments to first responder emergency drop-off cases.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support for anyone experiencing a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis. To meet the needs of Wisconsinites contacting 988 and address the increase in contact volume, the budget proposes $12 million over the biennium to support Wisconsin’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline service, which launched statewide in July 2022.

Investing in long-term care

Gov. Evers’ budget advances the safety and dignity of older adults and people with disabilities and makes significant investments to bolster, stabilize, and support long-term care providers across the state.

The budget includes $43.8 million to increase rates for medical services provided through personal care programs. Personal care services support people with bathing, eating, dressing, or other activities which can help older adults continue living in their homes and communities.

Long-term care workers provide care to Wisconsin’s most vulnerable residents. Gov. Evers’ budget increases funding for the WisCaregiver Careers program, which supports recruitment, training, and retention of individuals to care for nursing home residents across Wisconsin.

The budget also invests $15 million in a Complex Patient Pilot which aims to address difficulties and delays experienced in the transition from hospital to other places, such as nursing homes. With the state’s population rapidly aging, investments like this are more critical than ever to ensure Wisconsinites are cared for in the most appropriate setting for their needs.

For more information go to the DHS budget webpage.

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.