The Dunn County Board voted to pass a pair of resolutions calling for the Wisconsin State Legislature to expand Medicaid this week.

Wisconsin is one of just 10 states that does not accept expanded Medicaid coverage. The expansion would allow coverage for people living at up to 138% of the federal poverty line and put more of the cost of coverage on the federal government rather than local government.

According to a WQOW report, Dunn County officials say the county is typically on the hook for the bill through their Community Support Program and Crisis Intervention Services. Both programs are required by state law, so covering those medical costs has become a major drain on county resources.

Medicaid expansion has become a popular topic in western Wisconsin following the abrupt closure of the HSHS hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls as well as a number of Prevea Clinics. Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez have both echoed calls for medicaid expansion, saying the additional funding likely could have saved the hospitals.

Asked about protecting rural healthcare access, Governor Evers said “The legislature can do their magic work and take Medicaid expansion, which there’s only like eight or nine states that have not taken it. We could have taken it when President Obama was there but Republicans have pushed back on that every single time.” Governor Evers says accepting Medicaid expansion could bring in another $2 billion, which would solve a lot of the problems facing rural healthcare providers.

The state legislature will not be able to consider medicaid expansion until the new legislative session begins in 2025. With new district maps across the state, the legislature could look drastically different by then.

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