Proposed budget cuts put health insurance navigator program in danger

A steep funding cut expected to take place later this year threatens to gut Covering Wisconsin, a statewide health insurance navigator program that provides free guidance and other resources to help people access health coverage.

Covering Wisconsin, enacted as a result of the Affordable Care Act in 2014, employs dozens of expert navigators to help people enroll in and find options for health insurance, including Medicaid and Medicare. The program assisted over 97,000 consumers with insurance-related issues in Wisconsin last year and helped nearly 10,000 individuals with insurance enrollment.

A funding cut to navigator programs nationwide, announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in February, would reduce current navigator funding by 90% by the time it takes effect on Aug. 27

Covering Wisconsin received $3.1 million in federal funding during the 2023-2024 budget cycle, according to federal navigator and enrollment data. A 90% cut would reduce that to around $300,000.

“With a funding cut, our work will be more limited,” said Allison Espeseth, director of Covering Wisconsin.