Wisconsin Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides high-quality health care coverage, long-term care, and other services to over one million Wisconsin residents.

Basic medical needs

• Care with a nurse or nurse practitioner
• HealthCheck (health care to kids and young adults age 20 and younger)
• Lab work and X-rays
• Medical supplies and equipment
• Physician services
• Prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs

Care in specific settings

• Inpatient care (at a hospital)
• Outpatient care (outside a hospital)
• At an intermediate care facility
• At a rural health clinic

Specialty care

• Chiropractic care
• Dental care
• Eye care includes eyeglasses
• Foot care (podiatry)
• Physical and occupational therapy
• Respiratory care for people who require a ventilator
• Speech, hearing, and language disorder services
• Tuberculosis (TB) care

Pregnancy and family planning

• Doctor and clinic visits
• Family planning needs and supplies
• Labor and delivery
• Nurse midwife care
• Prenatal care
• Prenatal care coordination if you have a high health risk

Mental health

• Treatment for patients in institutions for mental disease includes hospitals, skilled nursing, and intermediate care facilities.
• Mental health and medical day treatment
• Mental health and psychosocial rehab services include case management from staff at certified community support programs

Assisted living

• Some home and community-based services
• Home health
• Hospice care
• Personal care for help with activities of daily living
• Skilled nursing home care

Other services

• Case management
• Smoking cessation treatment
• Transportation to health care appointments
• Substance abuse care

To be eligible for BadgerCare Plus, you must be a Wisconsin resident, U.S. citizen, or qualifying immigrant. You also need to be in one of these groups:

• A child aged 18 or younger with income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL)
• A parent or caretaker of a child age 18 or younger with income at or below 100% of the FPL
• An adult aged 19 through 64 who is not receiving Medicare, does not have dependent children and has income at or below 100% of the FPL
• A pregnant person with income at or below 300% of the FPL
• An adult under age 26 at any income level who was in a foster home, court-ordered Kinship Care, or subsidized guardianship when you turned 19.

If you are not a U.S. citizen or qualifying immigrant, you may be able to get help through Emergency Services or the BadgerCare Plus Prenatal Plan (if you are pregnant). DHS will not share your immigration status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

You can apply for multiple programs simultaneously through the ACCESS website. Alternatively, you can call your local county or tribal agency during office hours.

You must renew your information yearly to see if you can keep your benefits through your ACCESS account at access.wi.gov. 

Once logged in, look for the alert that says "Benefit Renewals Due For" and click the program name to get started. You can renew benefits for BadgerCare Plus and Family Planning Only Services online, but not Caretaker Supplement.

For all programs, you can also download a renewal packet and return by mail at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/forwardhealth/renewals.htm.