The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Dec. 18, 2019, that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional. However, the court remanded the case back to the federal district court in Texas to decide how much of the rest of the ACA is unconstitutional. In December 2018, the district court ruled […]
New Opioid Legislation Circulating
Date Tue, Nov. 12, 2019 - 3:14pm By Hamilton
Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and various co-authors have circulated a new package of bills to address substance use disorder. Nygren has led the legislative effort to combat Wisconsin’s opioid epidemic with his Heroin, Opioid Prevention and Education (HOPE) agenda starting in the 2013-14 session and continuing through 2018. Read more about Wisconsin’s work in fighting […]
New CMS Rule Changes How PAs May Work with Physicians
Date Tue, Nov. 12, 2019 - 3:05pm By Hamilton
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalized its 2020 Physician Fee Schedule Rule, which changed Medicare supervision requirements for physician assistants (PAs) by largely deferring to state law on how PAs practice with physicians. Recently, 11 states have replaced the outdated term “supervision” with other terms, such as collaboration, to better […]
CARES Act Would Eliminate Workforce Barriers for PAs
Date Mon, Oct. 7, 2019 - 3:47pm By Hamilton
The Collaboration and Rural Expansion of Services (CARES) Act (LRB 0196), which would update Wisconsin statutes related to physician assistants (PAs), is currently circulating in the Legislature. The bill seeks to reduce workforce barriers for PAs, thus maintaining and increasing access to high quality medical care, particularly in underserved rural areas of the state. The […]
Survey Shows Dental Insurance Enrollees Are Highly Satisfied with Coverage
Date Mon, Oct. 7, 2019 - 3:18pm By Hamilton
A survey recently released by America’s Health Insurance Plans shows dental insurance enrollees are highly satisfied with their providers and coverage. Overall, the survey found consumers were happy with their ability to find in-network, high quality, and affordable dental care. Highlights of the survey included: 83 percent of respondents said they are extremely/very satisfied or […]
Medicaid Budget Projected to End in the Red
Date Mon, Oct. 7, 2019 - 3:12pm By Hamilton
On Sept. 30, the Department of Health Services (DHS) submitted an updated projection for the state’s Medicaid budget to the Joint Finance Committee. DHS estimates the Medicaid expenditures will exceed the budget by $21.4 GPR at the end of the 2019-2021 biennium. The main reason cited for the negative projection is a decrease in the […]
Bills of Note: Direct Primary Care
Date Mon, Sep. 16, 2019 - 10:27am By Hamilton
The Assembly Committee on Small Business Development held a public hearing on Sept. 4 on a bill that would establish parameters for the practice of direct primary care (DPC) in Wisconsin. The bill (SB 28/AB 26), authored by Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin), is largely the same as the version […]
Bills of Note: Dental Therapists
Date Thu, Aug. 22, 2019 - 2:58pm By Hamilton
The Senate Committee on Health & Human Services this week held a public hearing on a bill that would create a new license in Wisconsin for dental therapists, an intermediate level of dentistry practice between hygienists and dentists. The bipartisan bill has received wide support from a coalition of 62 stakeholder groups but is opposed by […]
Gov. Evers Issues Executive Order on Prescription Drug Prices
Date Thu, Aug. 22, 2019 - 11:14am By Hamilton
This week, Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order creating a Task Force on Reducing Prescription Drug Prices. The task force is charged with addressing the rising cost of prescription drugs in Wisconsin, which the executive order says cost Wisconsin residents $1.3 billion in 2019 and costs the state’s Medicaid program $400 million annually. The […]
Gov. Evers Announces Caregiving Task Force Members
Date Thu, Aug. 22, 2019 - 11:10am By Hamilton
This week, Gov. Tony Evers announced the members appointed to his Task Force on Caregiving. The governor created the task force by executive order in February. The task force is charged with examining strategies to develop the direct care workforce, reduce health care costs for care givers, and increase access and quality of care. The […]