$1 billion would fill a lot of Wisconsin’s potholes

Wisconsin is in a unique position. But not an enviable one. Because the state decided not to accept federal money available through the Affordable Care Act, it has cost taxpayers more than a billion dollars. Wisconsin’s take on the Affordable Care Act is unique because the state is the only one in the country that expanded eligibility for Medicaid but chose not to accept the federal money available to fund it. Governor Walker claims that is a better choice, because it gets more people on commercial health plans available through the ACA. This allows them more choices than they would have if covered by Medicaid. But the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau has added up just what it has cost the state to not accept the federal money, and that totals $1.2 billion since 2014. All this is very technical and complicated. But here is what we do know. If Wisconsin had chosen to acccept the federal money when the Affordable Care Act became law, the state would have an additional $1.1 billion available to spend. What would that buy? One billion dollars is about what the state spends each year to operate the entire University of Wisconsin system. One billion dollars would also be enough to double the financial aid offered to students going to state universities. And it would sure fill a lot of potholes.