Personal Note

I haven't posted any personal comments in awhile and I have a few things to say.
First, I'm glad the President was re-elected. Second, I am disgusted by the republican party and third, my heart goes out to all of the families that have lost children due to gun violence not only at Sandy Hook, but across the country.

I have not been feeling well since earlier this month, I've been battling nausea, dizziness, fatigue, dehydration and weakness. I called my doctor and he ordered a CT scan which will be next week, the office will let me know what they find and schedule an appointment if necessary. My last CT scan was in May and everything had been stabilize for a year. It's been three years since the last surgery, the fact that I've been able to go this long has been a miracle and a blessing. I have not gained any weight which is a good thing, I've been losing weight because I'm not really eating, which could mean that my intestines are being pinched, this causes a bowel obstruction, which is the leading cause of death with pseudomyxoma peritonei. So, I'm not taking any chances, in addition the hernia has been making gurgling noises lately and I have a feeling it could be the reason surgery happens sooner than later. I would rather have surgery during the Winter and be on the mend by Spring, that way I can get ready to sell for the Summer and Fall season at the Market. With the tumors gone and the hernia fixed, I'll be able to get more work done and not have to contend with obstacles they impose. To be honest, I tend to forget I have a serious illness because by and large I can function on a normal level, but as the disease progresses, I'm reminded that I need to take it seriously. I am truly blessed to have the health care I need to survive and the benefits I need to stay alive, without them I would lose everything.

I better get busy, I have much to do just in case I do need surgery. I'll update next week after my appointments. Have a happy New Year!

Raising the Status of Wisconsin Women's Health

Wisconsin's women's health policy leader

Thank you & Happy Holidays from the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health!

difference {dif-er-uhns, dif-ruhns] n. A Significant change in or effecton a situation.  The Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health recognizes the incredible difference you've made in helping to raise the status of Wisconsin women's health.  Synonyms: change, impact, distinction.

As the year draws to a close, we want to thank you for your support of the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health (WAWH) in 2012.  We are extremely grateful for your support and efforts to ensure Wisconsin women at every age and every stage of life have access to the comprehensive health care services and information they need and deserve.

  

We worked extremely hard this year traking and addressing the many legislative policies that impact women's health and well-being.  Thanks to your time, dedication and incredible effots, you've helped to raise the voice of women's health supporters that so desparately need to be heard in these tough political times.

  

While it was a challenging year, we would like to share our Top 10 efforts and projects from the past year:

1. Raising Wisconsin Women's Voices Campaign
2. Wisconsin Adolescent Health Care Communication Program
3. Ask. Learn. Vote! Campaing
4. Wisconsin Women's Health Policy Summit
5. Health Professionals for Reproductive Care
6. Wisconsin Women Win with Health Care Reform Outreach
7. State Budget Impact on Wisconsin Women & Girls Report
8. Wisconsin Healthiest Women Inititaive
9. Reproductive Justice Roundtable
10. Save BadgerCare Coalition

We expect the new year to bring us many new challenges but many new opportunities to re-dedicate ourselves to advocating for women's health.  To help us continue to bring you women's health policy updates along with connections to resources and opportunities to take action, please consider these three easy ways to help support the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health.

1. Join us on Facebook 
2. Make a tax deductible donation
3. Use GoodSearch & GoodShop this holiday season 

 Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Growing Evidence for the Benefits of the Medicaid Opportunity in the Health Care Reform Law The federal health care reform law gives states the option of filling a gaping hole in most Medicaid programs – coverage for low-income adults.  In Wisconsin, the law would provide federal funding for nearly all of the cost of closing the large gap in BadgerCare coverage for adults under 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL) who aren’t caretakers of children.  Over the last month, much of the attention has been on the establishment of health insurance exchanges, which are a very important part of making quality insurance more accessible for low-income individuals who don’t have access to affordable employer-sponsored coverage.  However, the subsidies for coverage purchased through an exchange don’t apply to adults below the poverty level, and they may not be large enough for many adults between 100% and 138% of FPL.  In other words, Medicaid is the foundation upon which the new exchange coverage builds, but the current hole in BadgerCare leaves Wisconsin without one of the cornerstones in that foundation. In an article in today’s Isthmus, I lay out some of the many reasons why Wisconsin should take advantage of the Medicaid option.  And, in a series of three WCCF blog posts this week, I’ve been summarizing some of the growing evidence from national studies and state analyses that have reinforced the conclusion that the Medicaid option is a very good deal for the states: Idaho Study Concludes that Medicaid Expansion Would Yield State Savings – After reviewing the latest analysis of the costs and benefits, a committee appointed by the Governor in the very conservative state of Idaho unanimously recommended taking advantage of the Medicaid option to improve access to preventive health care, reduce cost-shifting, and save the state money.  National Study Concludes Closing BadgerCare Gap Would Cut Wisconsin Spending – The Urban Institute analysis shows that the Medicaid option is a very good deal for all states, and they estimate that Wisconsin will save $248 million over the next ten years by filling the gap in BadgerCare. Missouri Governor Touts Economic Benefits of Medicaid Expansion – Governor Nixon is making a broader economic development case for taking the federal Medicaid funding, backed by a University of Missouri study which estimated that Medicaid expansion would generate 24,000 jobs in the next year, as well as significant new revenue. We will continue to review and analyze information about the cost and benefits of the Medicaid option as additional material becomes available. In Case You Missed It:  •    Walker’s Decision Not to Develop an Insurance Exchange: Analyzing What the Governor Said and Didn’t Say •    As Walker Decides Against a State-Run Insurance Exchange, a Few Conservative States Support Them: With Deadline Extended, about 10 Governors are Still Considering the Options •    BadgerCare Enrollment Stabilizes in October Click here to unsubscribe to WCCF emails Please do not reply to this message. Email us at info@wccf.org.

Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, 555 W. Washington, Suite 200, Madison, WI 53703
608-284-0580 • www.wccf.org • facebook.com/wiskids • email us

Wisconsin health care groups work with the feds on Obamacare
Trying to make up for time lost by Walker inaction
Erik Gunn on Thursday 12/13/2012

Eskrich: 'We are hitting a... turning point in implementation right now.'

Related Articles:

• Health care ruling gives Gov. Walker wiggle room to block Medicaid expansion

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Now comes the heavy lifting.

While Gov. Scott Walker's administration continues to give Obamacare the cold shoulder, groups outside of state government are stepping in to work with federal officials implementing the law in Wisconsin.

"We are hitting a real pivotal turning point in implementation right now," says Sara Eskrich, who works for two advocacy groups that are part of the Wisconsin Access Network — a loose affiliation of activists, providers and insurance carriers that formed earlier this year to make sure their voices were heard as the Affordable Care Act was put in place.

There's no time to waste, Eskrich and others say.

The law requires virtually everyone by 2014 to have health insurance, either through work, through a government program like Medicaid or Medicare, or by purchasing a policy. For that reason, a statewide health insurance marketplace — called a health insurance exchange — must be up and running a year from now. The exchange will enable individuals without employer-based coverage, as well as smaller employers with up to 100 workers, to shop for health benefit plans that the law's supporters say will cost less than individual and small group policies typically do now.

"It gives them the power they don't have right now to purchase affordable insurance that covers their needs," says Kenneth Munson, director of the federal Health and Human Services Chicago regional office, which covers Wisconsin.

Because Walker last month announced that the state would forgo the option of establishing Wisconsin's health exchange, the federal government is taking on that job directly. Munson says consumers would not notice a difference between an exchange run by the state, the federal government or through a state-federal partnership — a third option that was available to the state.

But establishing the exchange is only one of three major tasks involved in putting the program in place.

In order to ease the requirement that everyone purchase health insurance, the law provides subsidies for those who can't afford the premiums and expands Medicaid for low-income people. The state willultimately also have to decide whether it will agree to the Medicaid expansion in exchange for federal funding.

In addition, Wisconsin, like every state, will have to settle on a standard for "Essential Health Benefits" — that is, what every insurer must offer if it wants to be included in the state exchange.

"This is going to have an effect on what kinds of plans are provided in the individual and small group insurance market in the state," says Donna Friedsam, health policy programs director at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

Although each is a separate agenda item, says Eskrich, "we have to think of them as simultaneous conversations working together to create full implementation of the Affordable Care Act."

Meaningful control

Walker, like many other Republican governors, has always opposed the federal health reform law and a year ago shut down all state activity preparing for its implementation. When he dumped the job of setting up an exchange on the federal government, he complained that either a state-run exchange or the alternative of a state-federal partnership would tie the state's hands while draining its wallet.
"No matter which option is chosen, Wisconsin taxpayers will not have meaningful control over the health care policies and services sold to Wisconsin residents," Walker explained when announcing his decision. "If the state option is chosen, however, Wisconsinites face risk from a federal mandate lacking long-term guaranteed funding."
Asked about the criticism, Health and Human Services spokeswoman Maril Alsup told Isthmus her agency would "prefer not to engage in an indirect debate," but said that it "will continue to work very hard to provide states with the greatest amount of flexibility in the establishment of their exchange."
Friedsam disputes Walker's contention that taxpayers would have little control if the state created its own exchange. "Many states do believe that there is an opportunity for them to tailor the exchange to their preferences," she says. But because of the state's hands-off policy, she adds, "there has not been any kind of public process" to discuss implementation in Wisconsin.
Eskrich agrees: "Other states have been working on this for more than six months now. Unfortunately Wisconsin was not proactive on this on the state level."
To fill the vacuum, several organizations teamed up to form the Wisconsin Access Network. The network is coordinated by four groups: the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health, the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families, the state chapter of the American Cancer Society and the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, which represents community health clinics around the state. Eskrich works with the network as a joint employee of both the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families and the Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health.

Many more groups have taken part in the network, she says, representing chronic-disease patients, other health care providers, preventive care organizations, health insurance carriers, Native American health centers and advocates for people with disabilities.

The Access Network has had discussions with officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, including regional director Munson, who was a deputy director for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services under Gov. Jim Doyle.

The network is currently marshaling members to meet a Dec. 26 deadline for comments to the federal government about the regulations governing the Essential Health Benefits package.

Already, HHS has proposed (PDF) as the state's "benchmark" plan the "Choice Plus Definity HSA" plan from UnitedHealthcare Insurance Co., which includes a Health Savings Account. UnitedHealthcare, part of UnitedHealth Services Corp., based in Minnesota, has generally ranked as the largest health insurance provider in Wisconsin in recent years, with about one-third of the market.

To make sure the benchmark plan is adequate, says Eskrich, "we're trying to look at it and figure out where there needs to be supplementation."

Additional coverage

One change that some in the Wisconsin Access Network would like to see is the addition of coverage for habilitation, which is not included in the benchmark plan.

Unlike rehabilitation — helping people recover functions they have lost to an injury or illness — habilitation means treatment to help people improve or maintain functions that were below par to begin with. This could include, for instance, therapy to improve motor skills for someone with cerebral palsy.

"That's something that hasn't always been included in the private insurance market," says Eskrich. If it becomes available under health reform, advocates believe that people who qualify could be moved from Medicaid to a traditional employer-based health plan, provided their workplace has one.
Eskrich says that the state Office of the Commissioner of Insurance has taken part in Access Network meetings and that agency officials "were very open to working together" in negotiating with the federal government. OCI spokesman J.P. Wieske did not respond to two email inquiries for comment.
While health care activists had hoped for a state exchange, Eskrich says that once the federal one is operating, there may be an option for converting it to local control.
"I think in the future we still have a lot of potential to take it back in the state and take on more and more functions," she says. "I hope we recognize the opportunity there and take advantage of it."

--

Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health

PO Box 1726 Madison, WI 53701

[p] 608.251.0139 | 866.399.WAWH | [f] 608.256.3004

www.supportwomenshealth.org

 

Please consider making year-end, tax deductible donation to support Wisconsin women's health!

Citizen Action WI, Families Moving Forward Coalition and Faith Partnership Network are pleased to present:

An Overview of Affordable Care for Behavioral Health Providers

The 2012 election has come and gone, and the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. Many changes are on their way, and more is in store for health reform to be decided by the state. Many changes for behavioral health are set to take place, are you prepared?

• See how insurance changes will mean more patients
• How Badgercare will be expanded
• How mental health & substance abuse coverage is improved
• How exchanges & new options/tax credits will help cover your employees/co-workers
• What the changes mean to reimbursements from Milwaukee County
• Information on required Health Information Technology and Medicaid Credentialing
• and more

REGISTER USING THIS LINK

http://www.gothealthcarewi.com/post_election_villard

WHEN

December 18, 2012 at 12:30pm - 2pm

WHERE

Villard Square Library
5190 N 35th St
Milwaukee, WI 53209
United States
Google map and directions

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT

Kevin Kane · kevin.kane@citizenactionwi.org · 414 550 8280

Shawn Green · shawn@faithpartnership.net  or bianca@faithpartnership.net · 414-264-6700

 

MADISON (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker's health secretary says no decision has been made yet on whether Wisconsin will seek a voluntary expansion of Medicaid services as provided under the federal health care overhaul.

Dennis Smith said Wednesday that answer won't be revealed until Walker introduces his budget in February. The expansion is set to take place in 2014 unless states opt out.

Walker has been critical of the expansion in the past, raising concerns about how much it would cost the state. And Smith says, "Medicaid is unsustainable without reform. Without reform, states really can't expand."

Smith held the conference call the day before he was to testify before a House subcommittee about uncertainty surrounding the Medicaid expansion.

Federal health care law will cost state, secretary says

By Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel

Updated: 2:16 p.m.

Madison - The state health secretary will tell Congress on Thursday that the state will pay more for its health care programs for the needy under the looming federal health care law but does not have full financial projections on that claim.

Dennis Smith, the point man on health care for Gov. Scott Walker's administration, said Wednesday that he will argue that the federal law commonly called Obamacare will cost Wisconsin taxpayers more than it will save. That's because, according to Smith, it won't provide enough additional reimbursement to the state to cover the full number of people who will sign up for Medicaid health programs for the poor such as BadgerCare Plus.

"The math is just not going to work out," Smith said in a conference call with reporters

But Smith said that the state Department of Health Services hasn't yet completed its financial projections on the impact of the federal law on the state budget. So far, the agency hasn't formally responded to an open records request by the Journal Sentinel for those projections.

Smith is scheduled to testify Thursday morning before a health subcommittee of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives.

On the call Wednesday, he said that there are an estimated 113,000 parents and children who currently qualify for Medicaid but who are not enrolled and who will sign up for it because of the federal health care law's requirement that people obtain health coverage. The federal government will pay for about 60% of that cost and the state government will pay the rest.

That cost will be balanced against the 21,700 childless adults for which the federal government will initially pick up the full cost of coverage - an expense that is currently shared between the state and federal government.

Smith said that was a "straightforward" calculation of cost but also acknowledged that the state has yet to actually do it.

"We're still building our models," he told reporters.

State Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee), a supporter of the federal law, said Wisconsin should take advantage of the additional federal money under the legislation to cover more of its citizens.

"The smart thing for Wisconsin to do is get as much federal money as possible to pay for as much expansion as possible," Richards said, speaking Wednesday before Smith's comments became public.

Smith did make clear, however, that Walker would be deciding whether to expand Medicaid based on the overall impact of the federal health care law on patients, the state, and businesses such as hospitals that could see increased revenues from an expansion of coverage.

"The governor has not made any decision about the Medicaid expansion. I want to emphasize that in big glowing neon lights," Smith said.

In criticizing the federal health-care law, Smith also pointed to the state's own experience in charging premiums to Medicaid recipients with incomes at or above 133% of the federal poverty level, noting that a significant portion don't pay their premiums.

Smith said that suggested that significant numbers of people might not choose to buy private health insurance subsidized by the federal government under the law.

One key difference between the state premium payments under Medicaid and the premiums envisaged under the federal law will be that the federal government will require individuals to obtain health coverage and will penalize those who do not.

Raising the Status of Wisconsin Women's Health

Wisconsin's women's health policy leader

WAWH Statement on Walker's Decision to Not Establish a State Based Health Care Insurance Exchange

November 16, 2012: "Today, Governor Walker announced that he will not take advantage of the opportunity presented by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to create a state-based Exchange. As Wisconsin's women's health policy leader, we are disappointed by this decision. Wisconsin women would be better served by the transparent and accountable creation of a Wisconsin run Exchange by our state leaders, who better understand the unique nature of our Wisconsin's health insurance marketplace, including our successful BadgerCare program, our innovative and successful health care providers, and the needs of our citizens. Since the passage of the ACA in March of 2010, we have recognized the many ways Wisconsin women are and can continue to win with meaningful health care reform.  More than ever, women need comprehensive access to affordable and quality care for themselves and their families.  The Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health remains steadfast in our efforts to raise awareness of and appreciation for this unprecedented opportunity to meet the health and economic security needs of Wisconsin of residents. Following today's decision, we look forward to working closely with our federal leaders to ensure that women and families in our state can better access quality, affordable coverage through a federally-facilitated exchange." To learn more about about our work around health care reform, visit our Raising Wisconsin Women's Voices site at www.raisingwiwomensvoices. org or our blog at rwwv.wordpress.com.

Help us Raise $2,012 by 2012!

The elections are over, the dust has settled and to say it's going to be a very tough legislative environment for women's health, safety and economic security in Wisconsin is an understatement. We truly need your help more than ever - please consider making a tax deductible donation in whatever amount you can to help us protect comprehensive women's health care access in the new year. Thank you! http://www.crowdrise.com/2013by2013

A New Day for a Health Insurance Exchange?

The people have spoken, but will the Walker Administration listen and build a Wisconsin-run Insurance Exchange? In this episode of the HealthWatch WatchDog, Bobby and Brynne discuss the "essential elements" a Wisconsin Insurance Exchange should include.

Click here or on the image at the right to watch the episode!

Miss an episode? Visit our WATCHDOG LIBRARY to catch up on topics from Season 4 or Season 5!

Paul Ryan Budget Would Cut Medicaid Coverage In Half: Study

The Huffington Post  |  By Jeffrey Young Posted: 10/23/2012 3:57 pm EDT Updated: 10/23/2012 11:33 pm EDT

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Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan's plan to replace the Medicaid entitlement program with a system controlled by states would cut federal funding by $1.7 trillion and reduce enrollment by 50 percent, according to a new report released Tuesday.

Under the Ryan plan to cap federal spending on Medicaid and repeal President Barack Obama's health care reform law, 37.5 million fewer people would receive benefits, the Tuesday Urban Institute report concludes. Wisconsin Rep. Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, shepherded his plan to passage in the Republican-led House in 2011 and 2012. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney also supports cutting federal Medicaid spending.

"The proposed changes and reductions in federal financing for Medicaid under the House Budget Plan would almost certainly worsen the problem of the uninsured and strain the nation’s safety net," the Urban Institute report says. "Medicaid's ability to continue these many roles in the health care system would be significantly compromised under this proposal, with no obvious alternative to take its place."

Romney and Ryan, with the support of the Republican Governors Association, tout Medicaid block-grant proposals as a way to reduce the federal budget deficit and to let states devise new ways of providing health care to needy people. "We’ll take that health care program for the poor and we give it to the states to run because states run these programs more efficiently," Romney said during a debate with Obama Monday.

Enacting Ryan's plan would reduce federal funding to states by $810 billion from 2013 to 2022, according to the new report. In addition, Romney and Ryan support scrapping health care reform, which the Congressional Budget Office projects will add 14 million people to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, a related benefit, by 2022. Health care reform repeal would take an additional $932 billion out of Medicaid compared to what would be spent if all states expand Medicaid as the law allows.

Federal Medicaid spending over those 10 years would be $4.6 trillion under current law and $2.8 trillion under Ryan's plan, which represents a 38 percent cut.

There is a limit to how innovative states could be if federal funding were cut by 38 percent, however, partly because states already are containing costs in their Medicaid programs, according to the Urban Institute.

"Over the past decade, per enrollee Medicaid spending grew by less than 3% per year, below the growth in per capita gross domestic product," the report says. "Controlling Medicaid spending growth much below levels experienced in the past may be difficult to achieve."

Currently, Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and the states, each of which runs its program under federal guidelines about who must be covered and what benefits they receive.

The program is targeted to low-income people and mainly serves poor children and senior citizens in nursing homes, though it also covers some parents of poor children, pregnant women, people with disabilities and a small number of childless adults. Fifty-five million Americans received Medicaid benefits during an average month this year, the Urban Institute estimates.