12-21-13 walker signs medicaid delay bill

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a bill to delay extending Medicaid to tens of thousands of people for another three months.  Current state law expands Medicaid coverage in January to about 83,000 childless adults who earn less than the poverty level. It also pushes about 72,000 parents and caretakers who earn more than the poverty level off the program next month.  Walker said those people could find coverage through the federally run health insurance marketplace. But the governor last month proposed keeping people on Medicaid until April, citing problems with the launch of the federal exchange website. To pay for that the governor proposed delaying the childless adult expansion until April.

Republican lawmakers this month passed a bill executing Walker's plan. The governor quietly signed it Friday.