A new study that compares private sector health insurance costs and emergency room visits in states that expanded Medicaid eligibility and those that did not concludes that Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin would cost taxpayers an annual $600 million, increase private healthcare costs as providers seek to make up for low Medicaid rates, and see an increase in emergency room visits.

The study, titled The Impact of Medicaid Expansion: Examining the cost to consumers and the net impact on Wisconsin, comes from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty and the Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy (CROWE) at the University of Wisconsin. Evers has said he plans to include Medicaid expansion in his budget proposal, which will be announced at the end of this month. 

A new report from Navigant, a management consulting company based in Chicago, finds that hospitals across the nation are at high financial risk of closing unless their financial situations improve. Thirty four states have what the report considers five or more rural hospitals at high financial risk, including Wisconsin. Several factors cited for the problem include a 'degradation' of the payer mix, declining inpatient care, and inability to leverage innovation. 

The nation's Surgeon General identified three priority areas when he spoke at a recent gathering of rural advocates in Washington D.C. Jerome Adams, M.D. identified substance abuse and the opioid epidemic, the improvement of community health, and the direct link between poor health and national security as his main areas of focus. 
 

Speaking at the recent Policy Institute presented by the National Rural Health Association, Surgeon General Adams also commented on the issue of Medicaid expansion. 
 

"It's not my job to determine whether or not your state expands or doesn't; it is my job to make sure that all states understand the array of tools that are available," said Adams. 
 

The American Academy of Family Physicians has an extensive write-up of his comments. (Source and Image: AAFP)

Wisconsin Senator Rob Cowles's office announced that the Senator will hold listening sessions in Kaukana and Ashwaubenon on Friday, February 22nd. Constituents are invited to show up and express their opinions on the budget or proposed legislation for the 2019-2020 Legislative Session. Senator Cowles serves District 2, which extends from Shawano to New London to De Pere.

Times and locations are as follows: 

Kaukauna City Hall
144 W 2nd Street, Kaukauna
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM

Ashwaubenon Village Hall
2155 Holmgren Way, Ashwaubenon
4:30 PM to 6:00 PM 

Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order on Monday creating a caregiving task force. The task force will be staffed by the Department of Health Service with assistance from the Department of Workforce Development, with additional task force members representing different backgrounds related to caregiving. The group is tasked with measures to buoy and expand the direct care workforce, and with the establishment of a registry of home care providers. (Photo by skeeze, Pixabay) 

The Wisconsin Economic Development Council has awarded nine organizations throughout the state grants to develop or expand entrepreneurship programs, reports Urban Milwaukee. The awards reach localities and rural areas across the state, ranging from Madison and Milwaukee to Oconto, Green, Rusk, Rock, and Eau Claire Counties. The grants are awarded as part of WEDC's Entrepreneurship Support Program, which support technology-based and growth-oriented startup and early-stage businesses. For more information on applying to the program, click here. (Photo:  doctor-a, Pixabay) 

A Wisconsin Medical Society report says that Wisconsin physicians are experiencing burnout at levels that surpass national benchmarks. The report, which is the result of a survey of over a thousand Wisconsin doctors, suggests that the primary causes of physician burnout include utilization and interactions with electronic health records (EHRss), lack of a supportive practice environment, loss of autonomy, and poor work/life balance. Read the full report here, or read the article from Wisconsin Public Radio. 

A new official report from several public health institutions highlights the impact of tobacco use on rural communities. The report looks at cessation (quitting smoking), prevention of initiation (preventing starting), and public health interventions to produce smoke-free air. And, the report details recommendations for advancing rural tobacco control initiatives, for federal and state agencies and for communities, tribes, and local stakeholders.

An opinion post at The Daily Yonder outlines the general ecosystem of hospital and medical bills. Understanding that ecosystem illustrates why Medicaid expansion lowers the cost of commercial insurance, writes Wayne Myers, former head of the federal Office of Rural Health Policy and the National Rural Health Association.