MADISON, Wis. (AP) —

Medicaid enrollment in Wisconsin is expected to increase dramatically due to the coronavirus pandemic, requiring the Legislature to take swift action to bolster the program that serves more than 1 million poor, elderly and disabled people, the state’s health secretary warned legislative leaders in a letter Tuesday.

“The pandemic is likely to significantly increase Medicaid expenditures (through June 2021),” Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Andrea Palm wrote to the co-chairs of the Legislature’s budget committee. “Medicaid members will require more health care services, and the pandemic’s effects on the nation’s economy will likely drive up Medicaid enrollment.”

Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature are discussing a state aid package to complement an estimated $2.2 billion coming the state’s way as part of the federal stimulus. Evers urged Republicans to act quickly to help deal with the more than 200,000 claims for unemployment that have been filed in the state since the outbreak.

Evers has ordered all nonessential businesses closed as part of an effort to slow the growth of the virus.

Lawmakers were expected to receive an analysis of what money is coming to the state under the federal bill as soon as Tuesday. Republicans have said they wanted to understand that before convening the Legislature. Preparations were proceeding for lawmakers to virtually meet as soon as next week.

Medicaid is a joint state and federal program that offers a variety of benefits to more than 1 million poor, disabled and elderly people in Wisconsin.

Palm told lawmakers that December projections were for Medicaid costs to exceed the budget by $40 million over the next two years. But now, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Palm said those estimates were “obsolete.”

She said the department was working with the Legislature on federal waivers for more flexible requirements for health care providers during the outbreak related to reimbursement, allowable settings, certification and other topics. The state will also receive an estimated $150 million every three months from the federal government to help offset Medicaid costs that come with the expected increase in enrollment, Palm said.

But she cautioned that the cumulative effect on the program is dependent on the duration and severity of the COVID-19 outbreak.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are among those particularly susceptible to more severe illness, including pneumonia.

As of Monday, the state reported more than 1,200 confirmed cases and 14 deaths, while local health departments recorded an additional nine people had died.

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