BadgerCare recipients brace for health insurance exchanges

Madison — When a potentially fatal intestinal problem forced Bethany King into surgery in 2011, the state's BadgerCare Plus coverage paidalmost all of the hefty bill. But next year, the small business owner's income may rise just enough to bump her from the Medicaid program into the federal insurance marketplace being created under President Barack Obama's health-care law, which King worries may further strain an already tight budget. In less than three months, these federal insurance exchanges will start signing up customers, and tens of thousands of low-income BadgerCare recipients such as King, 31, will find out how they fare in this complex and still poorly understood system.