In Radio Address, Evers Highlights Healthcare Funding In State Budget

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting investments included in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget to support Wisconsin’s healthcare industry and ensure Wisconsinites have access to quality, affordable healthcare.

Gov. Evers believes healthcare should not be a privilege afforded only to the healthy and the wealthy and that Wisconsinites should be able to get the healthcare they need when and where they need it without breaking the bank. Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans, including Wisconsin’s own, recently voted to gut critical basic needs programs, like Medicaid and FoodShare, that kids, families, seniors, veterans, farmers, and so many others depend on to stay healthy. This includes voting to increase red tape that will force 270,000 Wisconsinites to lose their health insurance by taking away necessary support for Wisconsinites to afford healthcare coverage.

In preparation for these drastic cuts at the federal level, Gov. Evers worked to secure investments in Wisconsin’s 2025-27 Biennial Budget to bolster the state’s hospitals, health centers, industry partners, and providers, and expand access to high-quality healthcare across the state.

Thanks to efforts by the governor and the Evers Administration, the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget makes critical investments to support Wisconsin’s healthcare industry, including:

• Over $1.1 billion to support healthcare access, especially in rural communities;
• Continuing funding for BadgerCare;
• Over $53 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for personal care, obstetrics, private duty nursing, residential opioid treatment, and home health services, and more;
• Fully funding the minimum fee schedule implemented by the Department of Health Services last biennium to help long-term care facilities avoid staffing cuts and closures;
• $1.5 million in increased funding over the biennium for free and charitable clinics;
• $7 million to support crisis intervention through the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline;
• $2 million to support the WisCaregiver Career Program to help address the state's shortage of certified nursing assistants and direct care professionals; and
• $3.8 million to support Aging and Disability Resource Centers across the state, among many other critical provisions.

Gov. Evers also exercised his broad, constitutional veto authority to partially veto aspects of the budget that were outside of the bipartisan budget negotiations. More information about the bipartisan budget signed by Gov. Evers is available here.

RADIO ADDRESS

Audio File of Radio Address

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Healthcare should not be a privilege afforded only to the healthy and wealthy.

And over the past six years, my administration and I have worked hard to increase the affordability, accessibility, and equity of healthcare in our state.

However, in recent months, we’ve seen politicians in Washington cut critical programs that kids, families, seniors, veterans, and farmers depend on to pay for tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.

One of those critical programs being decimated is Medicaid, which provides care for more than 1.2 million Wisconsinites.

Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans, including Wisconsin’s, voted to cut Medicaid and kick 270,000 Wisconsinites off of their healthcare.

And at a time when our hospitals—and rural hospitals in particular—are struggling, cutting Medicaid jeopardizes their ability to keep their doors open.

We’ve already seen the impact hospital closures can have on the well-being of local communities in the wake of the closures in Western Wisconsin.

These closures were devastating to folks all across the region, disrupting the lives of hundreds of workers and leaving thousands without access to care in their area.

Now, the Trump Administration has made expanding Medicaid more difficult and less advantageous for states.

While the feds are hellbent on stripping healthcare access to afford egregious tax cuts for the wealthiest among us, I’m proud to have worked hard on a budget that supports access to healthcare, most especially in our rural communities.

This includes over $1.1 billion to support healthcare access, especially in rural communities, continuing critical funding for BadgerCare, providing increased funding for free and charitable clinics, and more.

But our work doesn’t end here, folks.

And as we look ahead, my administration and I will keep working to defend access to quality, affordable healthcare, bolster our healthcare workforce, and ensure Wisconsinites have the resources they need to access care quicker and closer to home.

Thank you.