In some of the first executive actions of his term, Gov. Evers this week signed two executive orders directing state agencies to implement plans for expanding Medicaid and prohibiting pre-existing conditions exclusions in health insurance. Executive Order 3 directs the Department of Health Services (DHS) to develop a plan for expanding Medicaid eligibility. EO 3 […]
Evers Issues Medicaid Expansion, Pre-existing Conditions EOs
Date Fri, Jan. 11, 2019 - 8:48am By Hamilton
DHS Medicaid Projections Improve
Date Thu, Jan. 10, 2019 - 3:18pm By Hamilton
On Dec. 28, the Department of Health Services (DHS) sent the Joint Finance Committee an update on the state’s Medicaid budget that projects Medicaid benefits costs will be below budgeted levels by $212.7 million GPR by the end of 2017-19. In September, DHS had projected a $149 million difference between budgeted and projected expenditure levels […]
Opioid Task Force Releases Final Report
Date Wed, Dec. 19, 2018 - 11:56am By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse has released its final report. The report details the Commission on Substance Abuse Treatment Delivery’s analysis of how the hub-and-spoke model of treatment delivery might work in Wisconsin. The report analyzed the hub-and-spoke model in other states (California, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington) and laid out the […]
Federal District Court Strikes Down ACA Mandate
Date Tue, Dec. 18, 2018 - 12:33pm By Hamilton
A federal district court in Texas has ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate is unconstitutional. The court further found that, because the individual mandate is “essential” to the ACA, the remaining provisions of the law are also invalid. Congress zeroed out the tax penalty appropriation, yet left in place the ACA’s individual […]
CMS Approves BadgerCare Reform Demonstration Waiver
Date Thu, Nov. 1, 2018 - 2:55pm By Hamilton
The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved Wisconsin’s Section 1115 BadgerCare Reform demonstration waiver. The waiver primarily makes changes to the BadgerCare childless adult (CLA) population in the state’s Medicaid program. The changes include: Work requirements. CLAs are required to participate in 80 hours per month of community engagement, including employment, […]
Unpacking DHS’s Budget Request
Date Thu, Oct. 4, 2018 - 4:15pm By Hamilton
On Sept. 17, state agencies submitted their 2019-21 biennial budget requests that, in total, included roughly $2.5 billion dollars in additional funding (according to Wispolitics). Accounting for the bulk of the increase in state general purpose revenue (GPR) are the usual cost drivers – education, health care and corrections. Coming in a distant second to […]
Gov. Scott Walker Declares PA Week Oct. 6-12
Date Thu, Oct. 4, 2018 - 3:43pm By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker has declared Oct. 6-12, 2018, as Physician Assistant (PA) Week in Wisconsin. The governor’s proclamation recognizes PAs as valuable assets to medicine, especially in underserved rural areas of the state. PA Week also recognizes PAs for contributing “to the well-being and quality of life for all patients of Wisconsin.” Over 2,700 PAs […]
Direct Primary Care Committee Will Not Recommend Legislation, Kapenga/Sanfelippo To Reintroduce Bill
Date Mon, Oct. 1, 2018 - 2:29pm By Hamilton
The Study Committee on Direct Primary Care (DPC) met for the final time on Sept. 18 to make their final recommendations from their work this summer. The committee concluded without recommending any legislation but agreed that DPC is a positive part of the health care system and that the Group Insurance Board (GIB) should explore […]
Study Committee Update: Direct Primary Care Committee Discusses Employer Models, Physician Burnout, Legislation
Date Thu, Sep. 13, 2018 - 10:23am By Hamilton
The Study Committee on Direct Primary Care (DPC) met for the second time on Aug. 29. The committee heard from several presenters and engaged in discussion on what the future work from the committee might look like. First, Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) and Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) gave the committee an overview of the […]
Wisconsin Continues to Lead ACA Litigation
Date Wed, Sep. 12, 2018 - 12:19pm By Hamilton
Earlier this year, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with 18 other states, filed a brief in support of preliminary injunction in federal district court against the federal government’s enforcement of the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A judge from the Northern District of Texas court heard […]