Wisconsin adults on BadgerCare Plus who lose Medicaid because they do not meet the new federal work requirement will also be shut out of Obamacare premium tax credits. The state’s Department of Health Services says the rule reaches new applicants on January 1, 2027, and most current members in March 2027. It comes from President Trump’s 2025 law, which Wisconsin’s agency calls the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The group affected is adults between 19 and 64 who are not pregnant, not disabled and have no dependent children under 19 living with them. Anyone in that group on BadgerCare should find out now which date applies to them, because new applicants face the rule first and current members meet it at a renewal that begins in March 2027.
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How does the work rule reach Wisconsin members?
Wisconsin did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and its childless-adult coverage runs through a waiver. The KFF Medicaid work requirements tracker lists Wisconsin, with Georgia and Tennessee, among three non-expansion states whose waiver programs are covered by the federal rule.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services page, last revised July 17, 2026, says new applicants must meet the requirement in the month before they apply. Current members are checked at their next renewal that begins in March 2027.
What counts as meeting the rule?
The state describes the monthly test in dollars. Earning at least $580 in a month, the federal minimum wage multiplied by 80 hours, satisfies the requirement for that month.
DHS says it will look back at the month before the month of application for new applicants, so the test is about what an applicant did in that earlier month. The $580 figure gives adults with part-time or irregular jobs a clear dollar target to hit, and DHS does not describe it as a separate additional requirement on top of the work rule.
Who is exempt, and who is not?
DHS lists required exemptions for people under 19 or over 64, people who are pregnant or within 12 months after a pregnancy, and anyone determined to have a disability. It lists optional exemptions that include a veteran with a total disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and people with one or more serious medical conditions.
Wisconsin also plans short-term hardship exemptions, such as for inpatient hospital services. Homelessness is not an exemption, DHS says, because the federal law does not list it as one, so a homeless adult must still meet the requirement unless another exemption applies.
What happens to premium tax credits?
Someone who loses BadgerCare for not meeting the requirement “will not qualify for Advance Premium Tax Credits,” according to DHS. That person can still apply for a plan through the federal Marketplace, but without that help paying the monthly premium.
The credit restriction applies to people who lose Medicaid for failing the requirement, not to everyone on BadgerCare. For those adults the Marketplace is open, but the usual premium help is not, which is why the date a household falls under the rule matters so much.
Which date will apply to each household?
For a new applicant, January 1, 2027 is the date, and the month before the application is the one that is examined. For a current member, DHS lists March 2027 for most current members, which is when the first renewals under the rule begin. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services page remains the free official place to confirm a household’s own exemption and date.
How can a BadgerCare adult avoid losing coverage and premium tax credits?
A BadgerCare adult who is dropped for not showing work hours loses Medicaid and, according to DHS, cannot get advance premium tax credits for a Marketplace plan either. The first date, January 1, 2027, is for new applicants, and March 2027 is the start for most current members.
The SNAP & Medicaid Renewal Organizer covers the new Medicaid work requirement and who is exempt, and it includes a Wisconsin pack among its 51 state packs. It also adds a renewal and reporting calendar so a notice or renewal date is not missed.
Mark the January 1 and March 2027 BadgerCare dates with the Renewal Organizer’s work-rule pages →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
