Long-term Care Reforms on Hold

After no action by the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) to approve the Family Care/IRIS 2.0 concept paper, Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary Kitty Rhodes withdrew the concept paper from the committee’s purview. In her letter, Secretary Rhodes stated that given JFC has not convened to act on the proposal and may not do so […]

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Mandatory CPR Training Bill Signed into Law

In one of the final bill signings this legislative session, Gov. Scott Walker signed AB 545 into law as 2015 Wisconsin Act 390. The legislation requires mandatory cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training be taught in every health class offered to pupils in grades seven through 12. The requirement will be effective starting with the 2017-18 school […]

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JFC May Vote Soon on Long-Term Care Reforms

The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) is considering a Department of Health Services’ (DHS) proposal to reform long-term care services in Wisconsin, otherwise referred to as FamilyCare 2.0. The reforms to expand such services statewide and to integrate personal care with health care will, according to DHS, save at least $300 million over the next […]

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Social and Financial Impact for Health Care Mandates Legislation Signed into law

On March 30, Governor Walker signed Assembly Bill 543 into law as 2015 Wisconsin Act 288. Authored by Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield), Act 288 prevents the legislature from holding a hearing on or taking a vote on legislation that creates new health care insurance mandates until after it has received a […]

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Dies in Committee: Medical Malpractice Claims Relating to an Adult Child’s Death

Under current law, as stated in Estate of Wells v. Mt. Sinai Medical Center, 183 Wis. 2d 677 (1994), a parent does not have the right to recover for the loss of society and companionship of an adult child who dies as the result of medical malpractice. Sen. Nikiya Harris Dodd (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Dana […]

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Collateral Source (Phantom Damages) Reform Fails to Pass

In December 2015, Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) introduced Senate Bill 405/Assembly Bill 539 relating to how a jury determines damages relating to medical costs arising from injuries. The bills would allow the introduction into evidence of both the amounts billed and the amounts paid for such services. WDC supported […]

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Social and Financial Impact for Health Care Mandates Legislation Passes Legislature

On March 15, the Senate concurred in Assembly Bill 543. The Assembly unanimously passed AB 543 on February 11. The bill now heads to the governor for his signature. Authored by Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield), AB 543 would prevent the legislature from holding a hearing on or taking a vote […]

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Wisconsin Joins New Affordable Care Act Challenge

In what Governor Walker characterized as a challenge to an “unconstitutional and coercive tax”, Wisconsin joined five other states, including Texas, Kansas, Louisiana, Indiana and Nebraska, suing the federal government over a provision in the Affordable Care Act. The states filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas on […]

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Social and Financial Impact for Health Care Mandates Legislation Passes Assembly

Assembly Bill 543 and Senate Bill 413, authored by Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown) and Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield), would prevent the legislature from holding a hearing on or taking a vote on legislation that creates new health care insurance mandates until after it has received a report from the Commissioner of Insurance. Under current law, […]

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Collateral Source Legislation Introduced

Assembly Bill 539/Senate Bill 405, introduced by Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Representative Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin), would allow evidence of payments to be submitted as evidence in personal injury or underinsured motorist cases when a jury must decide on the reasonable value of a claim. Under current law, defendants are not allowed to introduce […]

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