The federal government has announced the 2018 federal poverty levels, which are used to determine eligibility for Medicaid programs. The increase in the federal poverty levels will result in changes to BadgerCare Plus and some Medicaid income limits. Income limits are used in eligibility determinations for BadgerCare Plus and certain categories of Medicaid.
The new federal poverty levels will start being applied for those newly enrolling in Wisconsin’s Medicaid programs, including BadgerCare Plus, beginning February 1. For ongoing cases, the new federal poverty levels will not start being applied until March 1.
This update to the federal poverty levels does not affect the FoodShare program. The federal poverty levels used to determine eligibility for FoodShare are reviewed every fall. The current federal poverty levels used to determine eligibility for FoodShare were updated on October 1, 2017, and are effective through September 30, 2018.
The federal government also announced that monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will have a cost-of-living adjustment increase of 2% in 2018. For more information, see the Social Security Administration’s 2018 Social Security Changes fact sheet below.
Last Update: Feb 01, 2018 12:23 pm CST
