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A New Direction for Wisconsin

Friday, July 1 is the first day of the new fiscal year for the state of Wisconsin--and the first day under Governor Walker's new biennial budget. In this edition of the Update newsletter, we recap some of the changes most likely to impact the health care and coverage of the people of Wisconsin.

Wisconsin's new budget, together with select sections of Act 10 (a.k.a. "Budget Repair" or "Collective Bargaining Bill") resuscitated by the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Wisconsin's Department of Health Services (DHS) has been given an unprecedented delegation of legislative authority to write the rules of the Wisconsin Medicaid Program. The budget gives legislative authority to unelected leaders of DHS to make changes to BadgerCare and Medicaid programs with very limited oversight and no public input. The budget simply eliminates the requirement that the department hold any meetings, and there is no requirement for publication of whatever changes DHS makes to the programs, including any of the "unspecified changes" DHS can make in benefits and eligibility. Read more inside today's Update.

 

Registration is NOW OPEN!

Register Today for the July 21 Immigrant Health Coverage Issues Web Cast Training

The Immigrant Health Options Training is a member favorite that explores the health care coverage options available to non-qualified immigrants in Wisconsin. This year, the training will be a live, interactive webcast.

The webcast will air LIVE on July 21 at 9:30 a.m., and viewers will be able to submit questions as it plays.

REGISTER ONLINE for this training or PRINT a registration form.

This training is FREE for 2011-2012 HealthWatch Wisconsin members. (The cost of this training is $50 for non-members.) If you haven't joined or renewed your HealthWatch Wisconsin membership in time for the new membership year (effective July 1, 2011), CLICK HERE to join now!

Not available to watch on July 21? Don't worry! After the live showing, the Immigrant Health Options webcast will be available on-demand to HWW members in the HealthWatch Wisconsin Training Portal.

Vol. 7, No. 12
July 1, 2011


In this issue:

July Immigrant Health Coverage Issues Training-Register Today!

Join or Renew with HealthWatch Today!

LogistiCare Takes Over Non-Emergency Transportation

Rate Review in Wisconsin

Health Reform Implementation

Case Tip: Enrollment Services Center Applications

Grapevine: LogistiCare Off to a Shaky Start in Madison?

HWW News

Member Profile

Coalition Roundup

CKSN Corner

State & National News


On our website:
HealthWatch Membership
Upcoming Coalition Meetings



A New Membership Year in HealthWatch Starts TODAY!

Health Care in Wisconsin is Threatened!

WE NEED YOUR HELP to make sure families and patients get the health care and coverage they need and deserve.

What You Can Do: It's Not Too Late To Join HealthWatch Wisconsin Today! HealthWatch Wisconsin is your source of accurate and timely information to help Wisconsin families and patients seeking care and coverage. You and your organization need to BE INFORMED to help families and patients. A New Membership Year Starts TODAY!

JOIN TODAY! You can join or renew using the method that works best for you:

  • CALL US: Call Adam at 1-800-585-4222 ext. 204.
  • ONLINE: Join or renew online.
  • EMAIL US: Send a simple email to Adam.
  • INVOICE: Request an invoice!  Please contact Adam and tell him the best address to email, mail or fax your invoice (Call: 1-800-585-4222 ext. 204 or email).
  • FACEBOOK: Join HealthWatch on Facebook!

Joining or renewing your HWW membership today gives you:

  • A voice in a state-wide advocacy organization that works toward quality and accessible health care for people across Wisconsin
  • 12 publications valued at over $285
  • Discounts for trainings and workshops on health care hot topics--including the annual HealthWatch Wisconsin Conference and on-demand training portal!

Join or renew as an individual member and as soon as the NFL labor dispute is settled, you could win luxurious, indoor club seat tickets to see the Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers!

Questions? Call HealthWatch Wisconsin staff for more information at 1-800-585-4222 ext. 204.

LogistiCare Takes Over Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Services in Wisconsin

July 1 is the implementation date of the new contract between the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and LogistiCare, the private company now charged with providing non-emergency medical transportation for the entire state of Wisconsin. In a press release dated June 30, the Deputy Secretary of DHS is quoted as saying, "Whether you are in a rural or urban area, you will be able to count on the same level of service...we are now able to offer Medicaid enrollees better ride coordination and service quality." LogistiCare said it currently employs 87 people in its Wisconsin call center, including Spanish and Hmong speakers. HealthWatch Wisconsin has been following this transition from county managed to privatized services. To read how things are going on the first day of the contract, see our Grapevine Issue below.

Rate Review in Wisconsin: Public Meeting Held

The Affordable Care Act, (health reform) requires states and the federal government to review private health insurance premium increases that appear excessive. In a final regulation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has determined that an insurance plan rate increase of 10% or more is considered "unreasonable."

HealthWatch Wisconsin provided extensive background information on the concept and progress of rate review in Wisconsin in its popular investigative newsletter, the HealthWatch Reporter.

On June 29, Wisconsin’s OCI held its first public meeting to give an update on the rate review grant progress in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the meeting was mercifully short and included many insurance industry representatives (e.g., Anthem BlueCross/BlueShield, Medica, Network Health Plan, United HealthCare, Security Health Plan, Humana, and Trilogy), but few consumer advocates. OCI staff read the first three pages of the meeting’s handout before Guenther Ruch, the OCI staff person heading the meeting, opened it up for open questioning. Some of the initial points made by OCI were:

  • OCI hired an actuarial consultant.
  • Wisconsin regulatory authority rests with a competitive market.
  • ACA grant money is being used to enhance and preserve our competitive marketplace.
  • OCI wants to be “proactively reactive to what is going on.”
  • Current rate filings vary widely and are inconsistent.
  • Website information is not consumer friendly.

To efficiently review requests for rate increases, OCI said it will contract with a variety of outside actuarial entities to determine the reasonableness of requests that fall into a certain “review path.” Review paths range from “a review for completeness of required items and consistency with previous filings to a referral to an actuarial consultant for review of trend assumptions, assessment of impact and appropriateness of rate increase, validation of calculations and formulas, etc.”

HealthWatch Wisconsin will continue to follow this topic and the other key benchmarks required to maintain the federal money for rate review in Wisconsin.

Health Reform Implementation: July 1, 2011

July 1, 2011 is another trigger date for parts of the Affordable Care Act (health reform) to go into effect. States can anticipate very few changes, the most noticeable being that federal Medicaid will not reimburse hospitals or health care facilities for "health care-acquired conditions" such as hospital-acquired infections. The rule also authorizes states to identify other provider-preventable conditions for which Medicaid payment will be prohibited.

New Regulations on Internal Claims & Appeals and External Review

The Affordable Care Act incorporates new language to require insurance issuers to incorporate the internal claims and appeal processes rules promulgated by the Department of Labor. Similarly, with respect to internal claims and appeals processes for individual health insurance coverage, issuers must initially incorporate the internal claims and appeals processes set forth in applicable state law and update such processes in accordance with standards established by the Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

These rules are currently being circulated for public comment. The intent is to help plans and issuers in coming into full compliance with the law through an orderly and expeditious implementation process. Comments are due on or before July 25, 2011 to the address listed in the rule.

What to Watch: A bill is being drafted and circulated to give Wisconsin's Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) rule-making authority (equivalent to the unusual delegation of legislative authority the state budget granted DHS Secretary Dennis Smith). In the current draft of this legislation, OCI is able to roll back the improvements made to Wisconsin's internal claims and appeals processes and external review. HealthWatch Wisconsin will be following this issue and featuring any developments in a future edition of the Update.

Case Tip

Enrollment Services Center Applications

A tip for applications you submit to the Enrollment Services Center:

Childless Adults may be familiar with the Enrollment Services Center (ESC), the application site for Medicaid, BadgerCare Plus Core Plan, BadgerCare Plus Basic Plan, and FoodShare. While the Core Plan and Basic Plan programs aren’t accepting new applicants (the Core Plan is taking applications for the Waiting List only) individuals may still apply for Medicaid and FoodShare through the ESC. If a childless adult already has coverage through Core Plan or the Basic Plan, or already has FoodShare benefits, she is not prohibited from applying for Medicaid (perhaps through Elderly, Blind and Disabled Medicaid—EBD) if she is interested in a disability benefit program. This individual or her advocate will need to pay careful attention to this new application, as the applicant already has an open benefits case at the ESC. To prevent mix-ups, lost applications, or delays, consider calling the ESC prior to the submission of a new benefits application to request the “case number” from the applications open FoodShare or Core Plan case. Include this case number on the new benefits application so the cases link together at the ESC.

For example, Susan applied for Core Plan coverage back in September 2009. Since obtaining coverage, Susan has been in and out of the hospital several times and her medical conditions have worsened dramatically. She is now hospitalized and will require a nursing home. Susan’s advocate helps her complete the applications for Elderly, Blind and Disabled Medicaid to help her obtain Medicaid coverage. Before sending in her application forms to the ESC, either Susan or her advocate should call the ESC at 1-800-291-2002 to request the case number assigned to Susan on her Core Plan case file. They will write this number on her Elderly, Blind and Disabled Medicaid application. The advocate should then follow up with the ESC to make sure the case worker has all the appropriate application and verification information.

Grapevine

LogistiCare Off to a Shaky Start in Madison?

LogistiCare’s contracts for non-emergency medical transportation for Wisconsin began today, and already HealthWatch has been hearing some interesting things. In Madison, some people have arrived at their appointments late, including urgent care appointments, and others have been concerned that the vehicles of the private drivers that LogistiCare works with are not marked in any way.

More and more, we’re hearing that people don’t know who they talked to and aren’t sure who to call. Remember, to schedule transportation to a non-emergency medical appointment, you should call LogistiCare at 866-907-1493. If you have any problems, try to get the name of the person you talked to and keep a written record of the exchange. HealthWatch will continue to track this issue in future editions of the Update. Stay tuned for more information!

Have trouble with LogistiCare or hear anything about this?  Contact HealthWatch Wisconsin and let us know! Together we can get more attention on this issue!

HealthWatch News

All Aboard! This Summer, Join Up with the BadgerCare+ Express!

HealthWatch Wisconsin's BadgerCare+ Express is getting closer! A series of coordinated workshops where HealthWatch Wisconsin staff, members and leaders will educate consumers and service providers about retaining existing health benefits as well as the enrollment basics, legal and administrative hurdles that families encounter with BadgerCare+ health coverage programs. HealthWatch will make five BadgerCare+ Express stops across Wisconsin, meeting with families and professionals, providing consumer assistance, and most importantly, conducting education on BadgerCare+ programs, complete with printed “3 Steps to Family Health Coverage” kits.

Join us in the final stages of planning or sponsorship: If you know of any local end-of-summer events where the BadgerCare+ Express should stop, or you would like to help out with organizing a stop, please let us know! The Madison stop of the BadgerCare+ Express will be co-sponsored by the Dane County HealthWatch Coalition and the Dane County Bar Association. The Milwaukee event will be co-sponsored by the Milwaukee HealthWatch Coalition. We will announce the remaining stops soon! HealthWatch is eager to begin this very popular and successful model of enrollment and education for complicated BadgerCare+ and Medicaid coverage programs.

HealthWatch Public Hearings: The Human Impact of Medicaid/ BadgerCare Cuts in Wisconsin

HealthWatch Wisconsin has posted the complete video footage of public testimony on the impact of proposed BadgerCare+ and Medicaid cuts that will affect 1.2 million Wisconsinites covered by these programs. In March, HealthWatch Wisconsin sponsored two days of public hearings during the HealthWatch Wisconsin Annual Conference, drawing hundreds of people to listen, learn, and for some, to share their stories and the stories of loved ones. HealthWatch Wisconsin staff was on hand to record participants' testimony.

View the public testimony footage online.

Member Profile

Sara Finger, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health
By Katie Foran-McHale

A long-time advocate for women’s health issues, Sara Finger spearheaded an effort in 2004 to create an organization that would unite and amplify the voices of women’s health advocates in Wisconsin, ultimately resulting in the creation of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health.

At WAWH, Sara scans the news for issues that have an effect on women’s health, monitoring policies that affect women on both the state and national level. After identifying issues, she and her team work to create messages around those policies, leading to fact sheets, calls to action, press releases, impact statements and more.

“We work to inform, engage, empower and mobilize our supporter base,” she said.

Sara and the WAWH work to create a supporter base built up of a wide diversity of organizations, including non-traditional partners like health care professionals, women of color, and the business, rural and faith communities. “It’s not a one size fits all message, it’s not a one size fits all movement,” she said.

With issues that can pertain to these partners, Sara and the WAWH provide individual focuses that examines the impact of women’s health issues from specific angles. For the business community, they examine women’s health issues and their economic impact. For women of color, they examine issues from a cultural competency standpoint, ensuring that women are provided with adequate choices. With the faith community, they approach issues from a social justice standpoint. With the rural community and health care professionals, they focus on access to care.

Sara develops relationships with these partners, working together to help shape policy that supports women’s health. Recently, the WAWH worked with members of the Catholic community to support compassionate care for rape victims, with the Catholic community citing that providing emergency contraception is the compassionate thing to do.  

Sara and the WAWH work with at least 50 organizations on women’s health issues, one of them being HealthWatch Wisconsin. Sara has been a member since 2005 (and is a brand-new Council member), involved with the Save BadgerCare Coalition and projects related to health care reform, consumer assistance and various Medicaid programs.

She said the resources HealthWatch Wisconsin provides are invaluable to her and her organization, providing health care advocacy, legal advocacy and navigation that fit well with the WAWH’s mission. Sara is a member of the HealthWatch Wisconsin leadership team, the HealthWatch Council.

Currently, Sara is concerned with the way she feels women’s health issues are being marginalized in Wisconsin’s and the nation’s current political climate.

“We find people shying away from women’s health below the waist, and more than ever, we need to look at the full health, well being and economic security of women if we’re truly going to raise the status of Wisconsin women’s health,” she said.

However, she said this need for advocacy provides inspiration. “The hijacking of certain women’s health issues has really motivated us to set the record straight, and develop messages and messengers that can help us reclaim and reframe the debate.”

For more information about the Wisconsin Alliance for Women’s Health, visit supportwomenshealth.org.

Coalition Roundup

Click here for a list of upcoming coalition meetings.

The Dane County HealthWatch Coalition will not be meeting in July! Instead, the Dane County HealthWatch Steering Committee will be planning something fun to give coalition members a chance to further connect and reflect on a long, engaging year, full of changes and challenges. Stay tuned for more information on that! The Dane County HealthWatch Coalition will meet formally again on August 1. For more information about the Dane County HealthWatch Coalition, please contact Adam VanSpankeren.

The Milwaukee HealthWatch Coalition will meet Wednesday, July 13, to welcome Josh Weisbrod of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan (HIRSP) Authority. HIRSP offers health insurance to Wisconsin residents who either are unable to find adequate health insurance coverage in the private market due to their medical conditions or who have lost their employer-sponsored group health insurance. Mr. Weisbrod will give an overview of HIRSP and discuss recent changes. The Milwaukee HealthWatch Coalition meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Aurora Family Service (3200 W. Highland Blvd.; Milwaukee, WI 53208). For more information about the Milwaukee HealthWatch Coalition, please contact Nora Foshager.

The Pierce County HealthWatch Coalition will meet on the 3rd Thursday of September, January, and May, with September's speaker already confirmed: Jena Most from the Reproductive Health Division of the Pierce County Health Department to discuss Family Planning Other Services and the Wisconsin Well Woman Program For more information about the Pierce County HealthWatch Coalition, please contact Lisa Raethke.

Both the Polk and Barron County HealthWatch Coalitions are taking a break for the summer, but coalition coordinator Mike Rust of ABC for Rural Health is very active in planning the BadgerCare+ Express stop to the northwest region of the state and has been speaking at other coalitions, as well, updating them on the budget and the ever-changing public health landscape.  To learn more about either of these two coalitions, please contact Mike Rust.

The Tri-County HealthWatch Coalition met June 28 at the Goodwill Community Center, 1800 Appleton Rd. in Menasha to follow up on their strategic plans, including the development of three subcommittees: data collection, advocacy, and mental health. The coalition reviewed the budget and all of its unspecified cuts to Medicaid and also let everyone know about the new HealthWatch Wisconsin membership year. The next Tri County HealthWatch meeting will be on July 26, from 9:00-11:00am. For more information about the Tri-County HealthWatch Coalition, contact Susan Garcia Franz or Connie Raether.

CKSN Corner

Covering Kids with Special Needs

The National Youth Leadership Network announces their new curriculum: Reap What You Sow: Harvesting Support Systems Curriculum Training Packages. Reap What You Sow brings youth and adults together to build support systems. For more information, click here.

July 25-27. Leadership, Legacy, and Community: A Retreat to Advance Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Scholarship and Practice. Hyatt McDonald's Lodge, Oak Brook, IL. Learn more information here, or register here.

September 21. Making Connections: Care in the Community Conference. Radisson Hotel, Wauwatosa, WI. Topics will include advocacy, mental health, transition and a health benefits update. For more information, visit maxishare.com.

September 22. Did you know? Now you know! Aging and Disability Resource Center of Manitowoc County, Manitowoc, WI. 5:30-8:30 p.m. Topic: Parents and partners on a journey; public support systems available to assist you and your child; private insurance and your provider. To register, call 877-568-5205 or email KVanVooren@chw.org.

October 1. Did you know? Now you know! Aging and Disability Resource Center of Manitowoc County, Manitowoc, WI. 9 a.m.-noon. Topic: More about Medicaid; advocating for systems change. To register, call 877-568-5205 or email KVanVooren@chw.org.

CKSN Logo
CKSN Resources:
Katie Beckett
CYSHCN centers
Maternal and Child Health Services
Family Voices
Parent to Parent

State & National News

Analysis and Comment

Day 1 Under the New Budget

The unspecified cuts to Medicaid and BadgerCare programs can be anything from reducing income eligibility, increasing premiums or co-pays, increasing the number of verifications or reviews, changing covered services, eliminating dual eligibility (for private insurance and BadgerCare), offering different benefits for different people, and more. We will not know for sure what the cuts will actually look like--but can take a nod from sections of the budget and Act 10. What we do know is that DHS can change rules with relatively no oversight and without any requirements to tell anyone what they are doing. HealthWatch is following additional items in the budget that impact the care and coverage of our residents. Below are a few more (in addition to those discussed in our last several newsletters):

1. Income Maintenance: The Enrollment Center "Compromise." The original plan to have a central enrollment center akin to the enrollment services center used for the BadgerCare Plus Core Plan was nixed in the final version of the budget. Instead, a re-organization and grouping of county income maintenance workers will be created. The budget calls for the creation of 10 multi-county consortia, outside Milwaukee County, and directs the state to replace Milwaukee County IM workers with state positions.

2. Give DHS Your Overmatch! Buried in the budget, actually included in the requirement that county consortia be formed for income maintenance functions, is the requirement that counties (except Milwaukee) contribute the cost of their current income maintenance overmatch to support the cost of DHS contracts with the income maintenance consortia! HealthWatch Wisconsin will definitely follow this topic and bring you in-depth reporting on this in the near future.

3. Family Planning Only Services Say Goodbye to Men. The budget ended the relatively recent addition of men to the BadgerCare Plus Family Planning Only Services program. A federal waiver allowed the state to provide these services to men in the first place. The budget states that family planning services can be offered to women between the ages of 15 and 44 as long as the family income is below 200% FPL. The budget directs DHS to request federal approval to require parental notification for family planning services to women under 18.

4. Contraceptive Equity. This provision, designed to eliminate the state mandate that health insurance policies provide coverage for contraceptives prescribed by a health care provider and outpatient medical services related to contraceptives, was REMOVED from the state budget as being non-fiscal. It is anticipated that this is not the end for this issue--watch for a standalone bill on this subject.

5. Goodbye Legal Services Money. Discussed in the Update in past months, the anticipated cuts to civil legal services are official. Governor Walker's budget eliminates all indigent civil legal service funding. (In comparison, indigent civil legal services were in the 2009-2011 biennial budget at a $1,958,600 appropriation in FY 10 and a base-year appropriation of $2,546,100 in FY 11.)  ABC for Health is one of the non-profit public interest law firms that will feel the impact of this cut. ABC’s attorneys and health benefits counselors help individuals and families determine the best health coverage choices; apply for health coverage programs; negotiate with insurance companies; and challenge insurance claim denials. Many of our clients are overwhelmed with the changes ahead in Medicaid and private insurance. Consumers are confused by the political conversation about which programs are actually in effect, how to enroll or challenge denials, and what appeals and other legal rights are available. Cutting civil legal services, in addition to blocking health reform’s implementation and reducing enrollment and expenditures in BadgerCare and Medicaid programs, will harm thousands of Wisconsin families.

 

Headlines

Urge feds to consider health grant applications without Gov. Walker's support
Representative Jon Richards, Representative Sandy Pasch, 1 July
"Please consider Community Transformation Grant applications originating from Wisconsin without support from Governor Walker, whose opposition to these grants appears to be driven more by ideology than facts."

Waupun Memorial Hospital charges $1,771 to treat tick bite
Amy Karon, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1 July

“When a tick bit Toni Grinwald's leg, a hospital took a bigger bite out of her wallet.”

Health reform could mean more workers
Corrinne Hess, Milwaukee Business Journal, 1 July

"The public health industry has taken a beating over the last two years, losing nearly 20 percent of its workers due to the economic recession and state and federal funding cuts."

From Medicaid to movies, the state budget touches you
Associated Press, 1 July

“Prospective politicians, college students, business owners, state workers and commuters all will face a new world when the new state budget takes effect today.”

Dept. of Health and Human Services: Affordable Care Act Cuts Health Care Red Tape, Saves $12 billion
HHS, WisPolitics, 30 June

"Patients benefit from more accurate information about their out-of-pocket costs at the time of service, and expanded access to care as clinicians will have more time to spend treating patients by spending less time calling health plans."

State health officials won't support funding effort for preventative health programs
David Wahlberg, Wisconsin State Journal, 30 June

"Public health advocates in Madison are criticizing the state's refusal to support applications for nearly $28 million in federal grants to prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes."

Fewer Wisconsin jobs offer health insurance benefits, study finds
Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 June

"  The number of employers offering health benefits, particularly among small businesses, is declining. The number of people who work in low-wage jobs, which are less likely to offer insurance, is increasing."

State blocks plans to apply for federal health grants
Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 29 June

"The state is blocking plans by the Milwaukee Health Department and University Health Services in Madison to apply for federal grants that would provide about $27.5 million for health programs designed to promote healthier lifestyles and reduce chronic diseases such as diabetes."

Press release: State budget reforms build foundation for sustainable, cost-effective health programs
Department of Health Services, 28 June
"To reassure seniors and those who care for family members that they can count on community programs being there for them, the Department will oversee a thorough review of Family Care before the program expands further."

Former HHS Secretary Leavitt says most states aren't on track to meet exchange deadline
Christopher Weaver and Bara Vaida, Kaiser Health News, 27 June
"Many Republican officials have been conflicted about whether to ignore the requirements or to go ahead with planning exchanges to fend off the federal government."

Legislator, attorney general announce anti-fraud legislation
Breann Schossow, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 24 June
"But the administration's new rules provide beneficiaries less time to prepare their appeal, less information about why their claim was denied and limit what type of denials can be challenged."

Press release: New research shows Wisconsin employer-based health insurance under stress
Robert Kraig, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, 24 June
"...The report finds that Wisconsin has had the highest rate of health insurance inflation in the upper Midwest, the 9th highest increase in the country for family health insurance premiums, and has the 7th highest deductibles for family health insurance policies in the nation."

HHS scales back rules on health insurance appeals
Susan Jaffe, Kaiser Health News, 23 June
"But the administration's new rules provide beneficiaries less time to prepare their appeal, less information about why their claim was denied and limit what type of denials can be challenged."

Millions in middle-class people could get Medicaid
Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press, 22 June
"The change would affect early retirees: A married couple could have an annual income of about $64,000 and still get Medicaid, said officials who make long-range cost estimates for the Health and Human Services department."

Man robs bank to get medical care in jail
Zachary Roth, The Lookout, 21 June

"Verone also presented the view that if the United States had a health-care system which offered people more government support, he wouldn't have had to make the choice he did."

Women health advocates watch Walker's moves
Shamane Mills, Wisconsin Public Radio, 20 June

"Governor Walker's actions on the budget sent to him last week by the legislature are being closely watch by women's health advocates. Lawmakers approved cuts to Planned Parenthood that could force patients to go elsewhere."

Wisconsin slips in health care quality ranking
Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 June

"But it performs below average in 27 measures, such as adequate dialysis and certain infections stemming from medical care. Wisconsin also does a dismal job in providing care to African-Americans that is similar to the care given to whites."

Budget bill gives Walker more power over Medicaid programs
Guy Boulton, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 June

"The major question: how the governor's Department of Health Services will use that authority as it cuts a projected $466 million in costs from the programs over the next two years."

Wisconsin state budget to be signed quickly by Gov. Scott Walker
Scott Bauer, Associated Press, 17 June

"There is no shared sacrifice in this budget," said Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller. "This budget gives to those few who already have a lot. It gives to them and it takes from those who have less. ... The citizens of Wisconsin deserve better."

 

 

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Copyright © 2011 ABC for Health, Inc. All rights reserved. No reprint without permission.

HealthWatch Wisconsin is a project of ABC for Health, Inc.
Update Staff:
Bobby Peterson, Executive Director
Brynne McBride, Assistant Director
Adam VanSpankeren, Education and Outreach Coordinator
Katie Foran-McHale, Publications Assistant

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