Wisconsin Governor Candidates Clash Over BadgerCare, Healthcare Cost Plans
Wisconsin's gubernatorial candidates, Democrat David Crowley and Republican Tom Tiffany, have released competing healthcare affordability plans ahead of the 2026 election. Crowley proposes opening BadgerCare (Wisconsin's Medicaid program) to any household, with income-based premiums, subsidies for small businesses and gig workers, and expanded coverage for dental, vision and mental health. Tiffany's plan focuses on price transparency requirements for hospitals and insurers, a direct-pay subscription model for primary care, and increased oversight of pharmacy benefit managers. The debate comes as a Forward Analytics report shows Wisconsin hospital prices among the highest in the nation, with hospital costs up 274 percent since 2000 versus 90 percent income growth, and as federal Medicaid work requirements for childless adult BadgerCare members are set to begin in 2027.