From Healthwatch

WI Budget Signed Into Law

Last week, state Assembly passed Wisconsin’s proposed budget. The bill passed 52-46 with a GOP majority vote, each member of the Democratic minority, along with 11 Republican members voted against the proposal. The two year, $72.7 billion state budget passed after senators repealed salary minimums for employees on local government projects and discarded changes to the state’s open records law. Lastly, it made its way to the Governor's desk where Walker made 104 vetoes.

What's Next?

 
 Gov. Walker will now seek federal approval for the following changes:

• Imposing monthly premiums for childless adults, and increasing premiums for “behaviors that increase an individual’s health risk”
• Limiting eligibility for childless adults to 4 years
• Requiring health risk assessments and drug screening as a condition of eligibility for childless adults

The bill also makes changes to programs effecting individuals with disabilities and the elderly. These changes include:

• Include, Respect, I Self-direct (IRIS): Eliminating IRIS and instead requiring the managed care organizations of Family Care Reform to offer the option to self-direct their care.
  
• Governor Walker vetoed Family Care and IRIS' processes used to make sure rates paid to agencies are sound, specified the state has to have at least 5 regions for the programs, and put limits on enrollment periods.
  
• Mental Health and AODA Services: Expanding Medicaid coverage to include residential-based substance abuse treatments.
  
•  Personal Care Services: These services currently help beneficiaries in need of assistance with daily activities such as eating, drinking, bathing, dressing, and household chores. The proposed changes require beneficiaries to conduct an “independent assessment” for all fee-for-service prescriptions.
  
•  Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs): The Joint finance committee negated Gov. Walker’s proposal to eliminate county-run ADRCs, but included provisions which require DHS to conduct studies relating to the reliability of the ADRC processes. These include: an assessment of duplicative functions between ADRC boards and DHS procedures, and integrating income maintenance consortia and ADRCs.