Officials in Wisconsin have announced, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved, changes to BadgerCare, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).Under new program policies, children in families of four earning up to $51,625 annually will qualify for BadgerCare.

The new earnings figure is equal to 250 percent of the federal poverty level. Wisconsin originally wanted to enroll children up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($61,950 for a family of four), but CMS guidelines put in place to avoid program overcrowding required Wisconsin officials to amend the enrollment limit.

Wisconsin will also move adults out of the BadgerCare program and into the state’s Medicaid program. BadgerCare currently insures both adults and children in low-income families who don’t have other health insurance and who have children under the age of 19. State officials expect to enroll 7,600 additional children into BadgerCare with the new rules in place. During 2006, more than 56,000 children from low-income families received BadgerCare health insurance coverage.