(The Center Square) – One of the Democrats running for governor has a new plan to allow the people of Wisconsin to buy into the state of Wisconsin’s health plan.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, is calling her plan “Keldacare.” She said the people of the state should be able to access the same care that state lawmakers and state employees get.
“My plans will enable every Wisconsinite to buy into the very same health insurance plan that I enjoy as a state senator and give people the freedom to build a better life,” Roys said in a statement.
Roys is one of seven Democrats running for governor and is the second this month to propose a new health care overhaul plan.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez also suggested a public option with a Medicaid expansion.
But Roys is the only one so far to offer a public buy-in into the state system.
“KeldaCare will help small businesses start and grow, and compete for workers, and will help Wisconsin companies and municipalities of all sizes have a public option for health insurance coverage that is high quality, comprehensive, non-profit, and competitively priced,” Roys added. “Covering more people and expanding the pool of insured people will lower costs for taxpayers and help keep rural clinics and hospitals open.”
As of January, the state reported there are more than 171,000 state employees and their family members enrolled in Wisconsin’s employee health system. There were also another 42,000 retirees and their dependents.
Roys is not saying how many members of the public that she expects to buy-in. She also doesn’t have a price tag.
State employees pay anywhere from $46 for individual coverage to as much as $833 for a full coverage family plan. The state also pays for coverage. In general, the state of Wisconsin covers about 88% of the costs for employee health insurance.
Wisconsin’s total Medicaid spending, health coverage for people already on state-subsidized health coverage, is expected to top $36 billion in the current state budget. That’s about a third of Wisconsin’s total two-year state budget.
