In his january state of the state speech, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle described his success in making health insurance premiums
tax deductible. He also praised the BadgerCare Plus program, through which "any child in Wisconsin can get health insurance."
The program gained 100,000 new enrollees in 2008, two-thirds of whom were children. Wisconsin ranked second nationally for
health insurance coverage, Doyle said.
In addition, he urged private insurers to cover treatments for autism and said he plans to make all public places in the state
smoke-free.
Sources of Coverage, 2006-2007
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He has endorsed a plan to tax revenue of most hospitals in the state to garner about $393.5 million more in federal aid. Officials
at the state Department of Health Services say every $1 of tax revenue would generate $1.65 from the federal government for
Wisconsin hospitals. The majority of the money would be returned to hospitals that treat Medicaid patients. Some of the funding
would pay healthcare costs for 41,000 low-income, childless adults. If the hospital tax is enacted, the state could use tax
dollars originally planned for healthcare to help relieve the state budget deficit.
The Wisconsin Hospital Assn. endorsed the proposal noting "it has been more than a decade since hospitals received an increase
in what they are paid to care for Medicaid patients." Wisconsin hospitals experience an annual shortfall of more than $600
million between what it costs to treat patients and what the Medicaid program pays, according to the WHA, which urged legislators
to act quickly on the plan so it can be applied retroactively beginning fiscal year 2009. PILOT LAUNCHED
Humana Inc. has partnered with the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange to ensure clinicians have access to the most comprehensive
community-wide data available for emergency department patients. WHIE uses information technology to provide secure authorized
access to clinical data, improving communication and reducing duplication. Humana has agreed to provide a WHIE-administered
incentive to providers for utilization. WHIE launched the ED Linking Project in 2007, with clinical use beginning in 2008.
As of February, WHIE had 13 hospitals across four delivery networks contributing data to the exchange, and five emergency
departments using the exchange in regular patient care. During 2009, it plans to expand the number of participating organizations
and the types of data available to participants, including lab results, pharmacy information, and imaging results.
PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE
Wisconsin has a shortage of 374 primary care physicians, primarily in rural areas and some inner-city neighborhoods, according
to a new report by the Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce. The shortage, which is expected to increase as
more primary care physicians retire and fewer medical school students enter primary care, coincides with an increase in demand
for primary care physicians due to an aging population. The number of Wisconsin residents age 65 and older is projected to
double by 2030.
To address the problem, the report recommends enrolling students from rural areas; increasing tuition reimbursement programs
for physicians who practice in underserved areas; recruiting out-of-state physicians; and increasing the roles of nurse practitioners
and physician assistants.
INFANT MORTALITY ADDRESSED
The Wisconsin Partnership Program recently announced a five-year, $10-million initiative designed to reduce infant mortality
in the state, which has the highest African-American infant mortality rate in the country, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
One of the goals is to help coordinate existing infant mortality programs in Beloit, Kenosha, Milwaukee and Racine, the four
cities that account for 92% of the deaths, and to increase public awareness. A co-chair of the steering committee forecasts
the initiative will last 10 to 15 years.
MHE Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; Urban Institute; Kaiser Family Foundation; U.S. Census Bureau; The
Commonwealth Fund.
