Rural Wisconsin Could Benefit Most From Affordable Care Act

Some of Wisconsin’s rural counties have the most to gain under the Affordable Care Act, according to a report by a health care advocacy group.The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families analyzed census data to break down how many Wisconsin residents are uninsured and where they’re from.The Council’s Jon Peacock says that as a percentage of their total populations, five of the top six counties for uninsured residents were rural counties.

“And I suppose that shouldn’t really come as a huge surprise,” he says.”A lot of farmers have a heck of a time getting health insurance.And a lot of other people in rural counties work for small businesses who are unable to offer affordable health insurance.”

The top county for uninsured adults below 400-percent of the federal poverty level was Clark County, where nearly 18-percent of residents are uninsured.The only non-rural county in the top six was Milwaukee County, Wisconsin’s urban center.

The breakdown of rural counties was just one finding in a broader report that looked at how many people could gain coverage under the federal health care law.The group projected a quarter-million uninsured residents could get covered once the law is fully implemented here.