Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services Secretary Kevin Hayden has thanked the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation for becoming a key partner in the BadgerCare Plus program by committing $300,000 for community outreach efforts.
The Department and the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, the charitable giving arm of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin, are providing $500,000 in grants to community-based organizations to reach out to Wisconsin families and enroll children in BadgerCare Plus.
Families can begin signing up for BadgerCare Plus on February 1, 2008 by visiting www.BadgerCarePlus.org or calling 1-800-362-3002.
“I applaud the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation for its commitment to helping us with our ambitious goal of getting every uninsured or underinsured child signed up for BadgerCare Plus,” Hayden said. “Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation’s generous donation will help us partner with even more community and faith-based organizations, schools and county agencies all around the state in enrolling children and families in BadgerCare Plus.”
“The new initiative is a natural extension of our Insuring Healthy Futures program partnership with Gov. (Jim) Doyle and DHFS that we introduced in 2004,” said Steve Martenet, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Wisconsin. “Identifying and enrolling the eligible uninsured in government programs is important because a lack of health insurance impacts all of us. Helping cover more Wisconsin residents is not only the right thing to do because everyone should have health care coverage, but it will also reduce the costs of uncompensated care – costs that get passed along to all of us.”
Beginning in February 2008, organizations throughout the state will assist people in enrolling in BadgerCare Plus to receive health services. Community partners will share information about the program’s benefits and provide direct, confidential application assistance. In some cases, children will be able to receive immediate, express enrollment in BadgerCare Plus through these community partners.
BadgerCare Plus offers health coverage to every child in Wisconsin by streamlining Medicaid, BadgerCare and Healthy Start into one comprehensive program. BadgerCare Plus will allow every Wisconsin family, regardless of income, to buy affordable, comprehensive health care coverage for their kids. Low-income families will be able to enroll their children into BadgerCare Plus at no charge. Families with higher incomes will be able to buy into the program for as little as $10 a month.
To learn more about BadgerCare Plus, go to www.BadgerCarePlus.org
The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation is an affiliate of the WellPoint Foundation. To learn more about the WellPoint Foundation please visit www.wellpointfoundation.org.
