MONROE - While most of Monday's Cover the Uninsured forum was devoted to celebrating health care coverage programs and successes, some in the audience were not impressed.
Two of them were Tracey Reich and David Chugg of Monroe, who said they are not impressed with Badger Care Plus, one of the programs lauded during the presentation.
"I think what we just sat through is a farce," Chugg said.
"Nobody talked about what they're doing," he said. And what they're doing, Chugg said, is "not really helping."
Talk Monday from politicians or their representatives, and local health officials, focused especially on health care for all children and about new governmental and grass root programs, like Badger Care Plus and dental care at the county level.
No audience questions were solicited during the event.
According to John Peacock, research director for Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Inc., Wisconsin is the fourth lowest state in the number of children uninsured.
There were "well over one-half million people, - 98,000 of which are children - still uninsured in 2006," Peacock said.
Green County has one of the highest rates in the state, with one-fifth of its residents uninsured. Peacock said that high rate is most likely because of rural residents, farmers and other self-employed parents.
Chugg said the roof of health care has sunk and the programs being implemented are not going to raise it.
He warned that people should not "buy into" the politicians' solutions.
Chugg said his household makes $80 too much to qualify for Badger Care Plus, making Reich's three children ineligible. While the children could qualify through their birth father's application, Reich said Human Services would come back on her for child support, even though the courts awarded her and their father 50/50 custody with no child support.
Under Badger Care Plus, an adult with three children is charged about $386 a month, Chugg said.
"This program does little for moderate- to middle-income couples without health insurance," he said.
Mark and Tammy Rufer, Monroe, spoke at length with Davis about their situation after the seminar. With no children, they too are "falling through the cracks" of Badger Care Plus.
Two of them were Tracey Reich and David Chugg of Monroe, who said they are not impressed with Badger Care Plus, one of the programs lauded during the presentation.
"I think what we just sat through is a farce," Chugg said.
"Nobody talked about what they're doing," he said. And what they're doing, Chugg said, is "not really helping."
Talk Monday from politicians or their representatives, and local health officials, focused especially on health care for all children and about new governmental and grass root programs, like Badger Care Plus and dental care at the county level.
No audience questions were solicited during the event.
According to John Peacock, research director for Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, Inc., Wisconsin is the fourth lowest state in the number of children uninsured.
There were "well over one-half million people, - 98,000 of which are children - still uninsured in 2006," Peacock said.
Green County has one of the highest rates in the state, with one-fifth of its residents uninsured. Peacock said that high rate is most likely because of rural residents, farmers and other self-employed parents.
Chugg said the roof of health care has sunk and the programs being implemented are not going to raise it.
He warned that people should not "buy into" the politicians' solutions.
Chugg said his household makes $80 too much to qualify for Badger Care Plus, making Reich's three children ineligible. While the children could qualify through their birth father's application, Reich said Human Services would come back on her for child support, even though the courts awarded her and their father 50/50 custody with no child support.
Under Badger Care Plus, an adult with three children is charged about $386 a month, Chugg said.
"This program does little for moderate- to middle-income couples without health insurance," he said.
Mark and Tammy Rufer, Monroe, spoke at length with Davis about their situation after the seminar. With no children, they too are "falling through the cracks" of Badger Care Plus.