Wisconsin Senate to Vote on Medicaid Delay

MADISON, Wis. AP - The Wisconsin state Senate is scheduled to vote on Gov. Scott Walker's plan to delay Medicaid coverage for some while also keeping others on the program longer than anticipated.

The Senate's scheduled vote Thursday leaves little time to notify those affected by the changes.

The proposal delays until April the removal of an estimated 72,000 people who earn above poverty level from the state's BadgerCare Medicaid program.

Walker says he wanted to give them more time to sign up for private coverage on the federal online insurance marketplace which was beset with problems when it launched in October.

To pay for keeping them on the program longer, the plan also delays extending Medicaid to 83,000 childless adults who currently don't have coverage.

Democrats have criticized that part of the plan.