There has been a lot of talk suggesting that if Healthy Wisconsin Plan is passed, a lot of people would leave the state due to the increase in health care costs that will undoubtedly occur.  But after reading some of the finer details of the plan, I'm left to wonder who would move here?  I ask this question because of the eligibility requirements (emphasis mine):

Eligibility for Participation in the Plan.  Establish eligibility criteria that would make a person eligible to participate in the plan if they satisfy all the following: (a) they have maintained their place of permanent abode in this state for at least 12 months; (b) they maintain a substantial presence in this state; (c) they are under age 65; (d) they are not eligible for health care coverage from the federal government or a foreign government, they are not an inmate of a penal facility, and they are not placed or confined in, or committed to, an institution for the mentally ill or the developmentally disabled; and (e) unless a waiver request has been granted by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is in effect, they are not eligible for medical assistance or for health care coverage under the BadgerCare health care program.

That's right.  You're only eligible for the program if you've been in the state for more than one year.  So people who move here from another state will have to find some other form of coverage for at least one year.  So I have a few questions about this.  Will employers who are currently required by federal law to provide health insurance still have to provide employer sponsored plans to these individuals, as well as paying into the Healthy Wisconsin Trust?  How could this possibly work?  Many employers may only have one or two people who are new to the state on their payrolls, and so wouldn't qualify for a group underwritten plan.

That means that ineligible employees will have to buy their own insurance for at least one year.  However, federal tax law doesn't allow you to deduct health insurance premiums unless you're self employed and made a profit last year.  So they'll have to pay for their individual plan using after tax dollars which automatically will make it much more expensive for them.

As a small aside which I won't discuss any more than this, you'll notice that United States Citizenship is never mentioned as a requirement for eligibility.  I thought I'd just mention it for those of you who tend to get riled up about these things (and you know who  you are).

One more question.  Would someone who is not eligible for the Healthy Wisconsin Plan still have their payrolls deducted?  Would employers still have their tax calculated for the total number of employees, or the total number of eligible employees?  The plan seems very worrisome on this front (emphasis mine):

Assessments on Individuals. For an employee (defined as an individual who has an employer), require the Board to calculate the following assessments, based on its anticipated revenue needs. For an employee who is under age 65, a percent of social security wages that is at least 2% and not more than 4%, subject to the following: (a) if the employee's social security wages are 150% or less of the federal poverty level (FPL), the employee may be not be assessed; (b) if the employee has no dependents and his or her social security wages are more than 150% and 200% or less of the FPL, the assessment would be in an amount, as determined by the Board on a sliding scale based on the employee's social security wages, that is between 0% and 4% of the employee's social security wages; (c) if the employee has one or more dependents, or the employee is a single individual who is pregnant, and their social security wages are more than 150% and 300% or less of the FPL, the assessment would be in an amount as determined by the Board on a sliding scale based on the employee's social security wages, that is between 0% and 4% of the employee's social security wages.

You will notice that everywhere in that paragraph they use the word employee.  Specifically an individual who has an employer, and not an eligible individual who has an employer.  Throughout the entire earlier portion of the plan where they talk about benefits, they use the word participant or in a few places eligible employee.  That is very precise language.  That tells me that people who are not eligible will still have their payroll deducted for the Healthy Wisconsin Plan.  And they'll still have to buy their own insurance somewhere else!!!

Speaking of which, what companies would still want to sell insurance in the state of Wisconsin to individuals?  Not many, if any at all.  Individual insurance costs will skyrocket in the state because agreements between insurance companies and health care providers won't be beneficial because of the low numbers of individuals enrolled.  So people moving to this state will be triple screwed for one year.

So I ask again... What sane person would ever move to Wisconsin?

Plan details via Mary Lazich, who points out some other problems as well.