Wisconsin families who rely on Family Care will see important changes beginning in 2027, particularly in southeastern Wisconsin.
The biggest development is not a wholesale rewrite of medicaid eligibility. Instead, Wisconsin is expanding the number of managed care organizations, or MCOs, available to thousands of Family Care and Family Care Partnership members.
For Waukesha County families, that could mean more choices in who coordinates long-term care, but also new questions about care teams, provider networks, doctors, residential facilities, and whether changing MCOs makes sense.
As of October 2026, Wisconsin DHS says members do not need to take immediate action. Detailed notices will be sent as implementation approaches.
What Is Changing With Wisconsin Family Care in 2027?
Wisconsin DHS is implementing a multiyear Geographic Service Region Consolidation Plan designed to create more consistent MCO choices across the state.
Beginning in 2027, more than 9,000 Family Care and Partnership members in southeastern Wisconsin are expected to have additional managed-care options. The affected region includes Waukesha, Kenosha, Ozaukee, Racine, Sheboygan, Walworth, and Washington counties.
For Family Care, DHS has announced Anthem as a new MCO throughout the southeastern region alongside organizations including Community Care, Inclusa, and Molina/My Choice Wisconsin.
Waukesha County currently lists Community Care, Inclusa, and My Choice Wisconsin as its Family Care MCOs.
That means Waukesha members should expect an expanded choice of organizations coordinating their long-term care.
Family Care Partnership Is Expanding Too
Family Care Partnership combines long-term care with medical services, prescription drugs, and other healthcare.
DHS has announced that iCare is expected to expand Partnership into Waukesha County, while UnitedHealthcare has been selected as a new Partnership option throughout the southeastern region. However, DHS specifically warns that the Partnership expansion depends on approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and could extend beyond 2027.
Families should therefore treat announced 2027 options as an upcoming transition rather than assume every new plan will become available on January 1.
Are Medicaid Eligibility Rules Changing?
The announced MCO expansion does not itself change the basic Family Care eligibility framework.
Waukesha County currently requires participants to:
- Be at least 18
- Be a frail older adult or adult with a qualifying disability
- Meet Medicaid financial eligibility
- Meet functional eligibility through Wisconsin’s Long-Term Care Functional Screen
- Have long-term care needs expected to last more than 90 days
Family Care and Partnership are currently operating under federal waivers effective from January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2029. Those waivers govern eligibility, benefits, rights, finances, and service delivery.
Income and asset standards can still change through ordinary annual Medicaid updates, so families planning for 2027 should verify the limits applicable when they actually apply.
Will Members Keep Their Care Coordinators and Providers?
Not necessarily.
Each Family Care MCO maintains its own care teams and provider network. Choosing or moving to another MCO can therefore affect which care manager, nurse, residential provider, or other service provider coordinates care.
Partnership members should also review physician networks carefully. DHS notes that Partnership MCOs sometimes allow members to continue seeing an existing doctor and may add that physician to the network, but continued access is not guaranteed in every situation.
Before changing organizations, families should compare provider directories and ask specifically about current doctors, caregivers, pharmacies, residential facilities, and authorized services.
The New 2027 Medicaid Work Requirement Is Separate
A major source of confusion is Wisconsin’s new federal Medicaid work requirement.
Starting in 2027, certain adults enrolled in BadgerCare Plus will need to satisfy work, education, volunteering, income, or exemption requirements.
But DHS expressly states that the federal work requirement does not apply to people enrolled in Medicaid programs other than BadgerCare Plus. Wisconsin guidance specifically identifies long-term care and home-and-community-based programs such as Family Care and IRIS as outside the requirement.
Family Care members should therefore not assume the new BadgerCare Plus requirement threatens their long-term-care enrollment.
More choice can be valuable, but changing MCOs does not eliminate the financial and legal rules surrounding long-term care. Krause Estate Planning & Elder Law Center helps Waukesha County families understand medicaid eligibility, asset and income planning, Family Care enrollment, spousal protections, and long-term-care decisions. Contact us today to review how Wisconsin’s evolving long-term-care system fits into your family’s broader elder law plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the major 2027 changes?
More MCO choices are coming to southeastern Wisconsin, including additional Family Care and potentially Partnership organizations.
2. How will Waukesha County be affected?
Waukesha Family Care members are expected to gain an additional MCO option, while Partnership choices may also expand.
3. Do current members need to act now?
No. DHS says members should wait for official 2027 notices explaining their choices and required next steps.
4. Can I keep my current care coordinator or doctor?
Possibly, but not automatically. Care teams and provider networks vary between MCOs.
5. Are Family Care benefits or eligibility disappearing?
No such change has been announced. The 2027 initiative primarily concerns MCO choice and regional administration.
6. What about Partnership and IRIS?
Partnership is also expanding, subject in some areas to federal approval. IRIS remains a separate self-directed long-term care option operating under its own 2026–2030 waiver.
7. Do federal work requirements apply to Family Care?
No. DHS says the new requirement applies to qualifying BadgerCare Plus members, not Family Care or IRIS participants.
8. What if I do not choose a new MCO?
Follow the DHS notice you receive. Do not assume your existing enrollment or provider relationships will automatically remain unchanged during a transition.
9. What does this mean for caregivers and residential facilities?
Providers may need contracts with additional MCOs to serve members who select those organizations. Wisconsin’s direct-care workforce funding also depends in part on active MCO provider relationships.
10. Where can Waukesha families get objective help?
The ADRC of Waukesha County is the local single access point for publicly funded long-term care and provides options counseling regarding Family Care, Partnership, PACE, and IRIS.
TL; DR:
- Medicaid eligibility in Waukesha County may be affected by upcoming Medicaid policy changes tied to Wisconsin Family Care, making it important for families to understand how the Family Care program is expected to evolve in 2027.
- Changes to Waukesha County Medicaid could influence how residents access long term care benefits, managed care, disability services, and other public benefits, especially for older adults and people with ongoing care needs.
- Families should pay close attention to eligibility rules, asset limits, income limits, and any changes to the Medicaid waiver structure, as these factors can directly affect continued Wisconsin Medicaid coverage and service eligibility.
- Proactive Medicaid planning, senior care planning, and guidance under elder law Wisconsin can help families prepare for changes while protecting access to necessary long term care and coordinated support.
- As Wisconsin elder care policies continue to evolve, understanding updates to care coordination, enrollment, and program administration can help Waukesha County residents protect their medicaid eligibility and make informed long-term care decisions.