evidence: The governor is once again asking that Wisconsin join 40 other states and allow the federal government to pay 90% of Medicaid costs. Because the state refuses the federal handout, state taxpayers have been underwriting between 35% and 40% of Medicaid’s biennial budget. That translates to between $9.6 billion and $11.1 billion of the current biennial Medicaid total. [...] No state in the country has had any better luck than Wisconsin in containing Medicaid costs. The reason is simple. For all the talk of 50 state programs, Medicaid is fed by a federal government not restrained by having to balance a budget. [...] Blase presses on, he says, because despite all the spending, Medicaid is an awful tool for promoting public health. In its 2022 report, America’s Health Rankings ranked Wisconsin 28th for its overall health outcomes, plummeting from 6th in its 2019 report. The state finished near the bottom for premature deaths and low birth weights by race and finished 49th for excessive drinking.