MADISON, Wis. — Over the weekend, a new report detailed the struggles Wisconsinites in the Chippewa Valley are facing with Medicaid following the GOP’s Big Ugly Bill. Wisconsin’s entire Republican congressional delegation — including WI-03 Rep. Derrick Van Orden and GOP gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany — helped pass the bill. Van Orden, previously celebrated the negative impacts of the bill and threatened to strip federal funding from Mayo Clinics, like the one in his district.
WEAU: Calls for congress to address issues with Medicaid continue in the Chippewa Valley
By: Daniel Gomez | 10/4/25
Key details below:
- Members of a community group gathered at the Menomonie Public Library Saturday to call on congress to do more for Medicaid. They say legislation in Washington D.C. will impact access to health care coverage and that will negatively impact rural families.
- Angie Wolf is a single mothers of two and a member of Grassroots Organizing Western Wisconsin.
- “I have been on BadgerCare and my children. I have a seven-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. We’ve been on BadgerCare since 2022,” said Wolf. “However, when you do have two young children, the things that BadgerCare has covered for us has been routine dental care, well-child checks, immunizations, any sort of injury that they have from just playing outside.”
- GROWW is concerned cuts to Medicaid are coming President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” It was signed into law back in early July.
- “We’ve had a lot of loss in health care in this region for years now, with hospitals closing. You know, things like Medicaid are generally not fully funded. And it’s part of the reason why we face some of the challenges we do in rural health care,” said Dr. Brady Didion.
- He practices rural medicine, mainly seeing farmers. From his perspective, he just sees patients lacking more than time to see the doctor. All of it coming down to something greener than the pastures these farmers he treats shepherd.
- “And I think that’s a common story not only, though, with farmers, just with people who know that their health care is not going to cover a whole lot of things or they’re going to be on the hook for a lot of the bill,” said Dr. Didion.
- Without a solution to health care coverage, the calls to congress will continue to grow.
- “If I can give a voice for anyone else to speak up, I think that’s important. And I’m doing it for my children, too,” said Wolf.
- WEAU did reach out to Congressman Derrick Van Orden for comment. We will update this article with a response if we get one.
