Dear Student Legal Clinic,
I am worried about the new Health Care Law.  I am low income and I don’t think I can spend any money on health insurance even if I get a subsidy.  Where do I start? I have not had health insurance for five years since I lost my job.
Signed Alaina

Dear Alaina,
First of all, take a deep breath and relax.  You should first go to the State of Wisconsin benefits website at www.access.wisconsin.gov.  You can find out what you are eligible for by clicking on Am I Eligible?  You should be able to find out what programs you should apply for.  Then you can go right ahead and apply on the website.  If you are over the income levels for Badger Care, the State website should automatically send your information to the Federal website, Healthcare.gov.

Or if you already know that you are not eligible for Badger Care, then you can get help with Healthcare.gov at many agencies around town.  We have put up posters around the school listing some of the agencies, including the City Health Department at 414-286-8620 and the Black Health Coalition at 414-933-0064.
Since the state of Wisconsin did not take the Medicaid expansion money from the Federal government, you will not pay a tax for not getting insurance if your income is under 133% of the poverty level and you would have been covered by Medicaid had the state taken the expansion money.

However, it would be best to check out what subsidies you are entitled to so that you are covered by health insurance.  If the Federal website is having problems, it is still possible to apply over the phone or by paper application.  Don’t give up.  Just take it one step at a time and ask for help from the agencies that have been trained to assist you.

For information and referrals on other civil legal issues, contact Mary O’Leary at 414-297-6630, [email protected], or stop in room M346.