MADISON, Wis. -- A state program providing health insurance to adults without children is preparing to max out its applicants Friday, and a candidate for governor said the BadgerCare Plus program needs an overhaul that includes limits on how long people could get benefits.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, a Republican candidate for governor, said he thinks BadgerCare has become an entitlement program, rather than temporary assistance.

"I think it has to be not just a pure time limit, but progressions for, 'You've got this amount of time; here's what we expect you to do; here's the options you should have by that time.' So that there are clearly defined expectations of how you're going to ease off assistance from the government," said Walker.

But the state said the program provides much-needed assistance.

"(Applicants to the program) already have no income; they're already struggling to pay their mortgage and their bills. So if they had no health care on top of it and no real option for health care, that would just make the situation a lot worse for those people," said Seth Bofelli, a spokesman for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Meanwhile, as the deadline approaches for BadgerCare, the uninsured and unemployed are rushing to get in. So far 3,000 people have signed up just this week, anxious to get health care before time and money runs out.

At Access Community Health Centers, people are scrambling to sign up for the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan before a waiting list begins.

"I think it raises a lot of questions for people and just a lot of rush," said Sarah Valencia, community resources manager for Access Community Health Center. "A feeling of anticipation and a rush to get things done, and (they're wondering) are they going to get approved in this or that situation, so there's just a lot of confusion and sense of urgency that they get the application submitted on time."

Access Community Health Centers has signed up more than a 1,000 people since June, and pushed up an additional 20 or 30 appointments this week to get them signed up in time.

"This means that people can get surgeries that they needed for a long time and get the care that they've needed, so it means a lot to these folks," said Valencia.

The state said to get in by the deadline, using the Internet is best. State officials said people can expect a 30- to 40-minute hold time on the phone. For those who end up on the waiting list, the state said it's working on a self-funded plan it hopes to start soon.

"We can only put benefits in that can be afforded by a monthly premium, so that's what we're trying to figure out right now, is how much generic medication coverage, how much preventative doctor visits, and if we can afford to put any basic hospitalization coverage in it," said Bofelli.

The chief medical officer of Wisconsin Medicaid and BadgerCare told a health care panel Thursday that officials were working "feverishly" to implement the buy-in plan.

State officials said that if people discover they need coverage after Friday at noon, they should follow the same process to sign up at www.badgercareplus.org. They'll be processed and put on the waiting list so they'll qualify for that buy-in plan once it's available, and will be let on the BadgerCare Core Plan as space allows.