Wisconsin gets OK for some Medicaid cuts

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker’s administration received preliminary approval Friday from the federal government for some Medicaid cuts it sought to balance a budget shortfall, but a final determination won’t come until later, raising the possibility 53,000 people may lose coverage in the meantime.

Walker’s Department of Health Services had said if all the cuts weren’t approved by Dec. 31, it would be forced to kick 53,000 people off of BadgerCare Plus next year by tightening income eligibility. In Friday’s letter, the director of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said Walker’s deadline was unlikely to be met.