Earlier this year, WiAHC decided that two state legislators were selected as Champions of Home Health Care for the 2023-2024 legislative session:  Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) and Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam).  WiHPCA is honoring these legislators for their exceptional work to promote the expanded utilization of skilled home health care as an effective, affordable option for post-acute medical care. 

As co-chairs of the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance, Sen. Marklein and Rep. Born led the approval of the Fiscal Year 2023-2025 state budget that included a continuation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) five percent increase from April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.  This continuation of funds has directly benefited home health agencies statewide.   

On October 16, WiAHC lobbyists Tim Hoven and Nathan Butzlaff presented a Champion of Home Health Care award to Senator Marklein in his Madison office.  WiAHC will present this award to Representative Born later in October. 

On October 2, 2024, Marquette Law School released a new statewide election poll, which was conducted between September 18-26.  The following poll findings may be of interest.

Presidential Race

The following are the results for polling of registered Wisconsin voters: 

• Kamala Harris (D):  52%
• Donald Trump (R):  48%

When factoring in various Presidential candidates from other political parties, the results are as follows for registered Wisconsin voters:

• Kamala Harris (Democrat):  48%
• Donald Trump (Republican):  44%
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Independent):  3%  [Note: Kennedy has suspended his campaign but will remain on the ballot, according to a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.]
• Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party):  1%
• Jill Stein (Green Party):  1%
• Randall Terry (Constitution Party): Less than 1% 
• Claudia De la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation):  0%
• Cornel West (Independent): 0%

U.S. Senate Race

The following are the results for registered Wisconsin voters: 

• Tammy Baldwin (D):  53%
• Eric Hovde (R):  46%

Governor Tony Evers’ Job Performance

This poll asked registered voters if they approve or disapprove of the way that Democrat Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor.  This poll found the following:

• Approve:  48%
• Disapprove:  46%
• Don’t know:  5%

Direction of the State and Economic Conditions

Direction of the State

This poll asked registered voters whether things in Wisconsin are generally going in the right direction, or if things have gotten off on the wrong track.  This poll found the following:

• Right Direction:  44%
• Wrong Track:  56%

Views of the National Economy

This poll asked registered voters how they would describe the national economy.  This poll found the following: 

• Excellent:  5%
• Good:  32%
• Not so good: 30%
• Poor:  33%

Polling on Various Issues – By Political Party

Republican Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Republican voters:

• Economy:  53%
• Immigration and border security:  31%
• Medicare & Social Security:  5%
• Abortion policy:  3%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  3%
• Foreign relations:  2%
• Health care:  1%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  1%
• Don’t know:  1%

Democratic Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Democratic voters:

• Abortion policy:  31%
• Economy:  19%
• Medicare & Social Security:  13%
• Health care:  13%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  11%
• Foreign relations:  5%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  2%
• Immigration and border security:  1%
• Don’t know:  5%

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is seeking feedback on the 2025-2027 Wisconsin Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy until October 25, 2024.  What exactly is this?  DHS provides the following explanation:

“The Wisconsin Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy (Quality Strategy) will help DHS understand how well certain health plans are working for Medicaid members and how to make them better. The department developed this draft strategy using feedback from groups it works with, the latest data, and information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The Quality Strategy includes these managed care programs:

• BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
• Family Care and Family Care Partnership
• Care4Kids”

More information, including a link to the strategy document and methods to share feedback may be found on the DHS website.

Recently, Wisconsin DHS announced that the UpliftWI phone line is now available to receive calls daily – including holidays – from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.  It was previously available daily – including holidays – from 12:00PM to 12:00AM.

If you are not familiar with the UpliftWI phone line, DHS describes it as “…a nonemergency source of support for people experiencing increased stress or symptoms from mental health and substance use concerns.” 

This phone line does not charge a fee to callers and is a confidential service.  The UpliftWI line may be reached at 534-202-5438.  For more information on this service, please visit Mental Health America of Wisconsin’s UpliftWI website. 

On October 15, Governor Tony Evers announced that the state government ended Fiscal Year 2024 with a positive balance of $4.6 billion.  This amount is $821.3 million higher than projected.  This balance will be used when the Legislature’ crafts the state’s Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget next year. 

Also, the state’s budget stabilization fund or “rainy day fund,” which is intended to be used to balance the state budget in a time of reduced tax revenue, is $1.9 billion.  This fund balance is the highest in the state’s history. 

WiAHC is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest articles and information on the home health care industry from Home Health Care News and other publications:

·       ‘We Need A Break, Please!’: Home Health Providers Sound Off On CMS Over Rate Cuts

Home Health Care News – By Joyce Famakinwa | Oct. 11, 2023

“Opposed.” That was the one-word response a home health provider left for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) during the comment period on the 2025 home health proposed payment rule. This comment was an anomaly, in terms of its brevity. While most respondents expressed similar sentiments, they chose to utilize more words to do so. Read More…

·       CMS Report Shows Hospital-At-Home Care Increases Recovery, While Decreasing Costs And Readmissions

Home Health Care News – By Audrie Martin | Oct. 1, 2024

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a report on a study of its Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) program. This program permits specific Medicare-certified hospitals to provide inpatient-level care to patients in their homes. The report outlines the study’s results and discusses potential future considerations and limitations. Read more…

Home Health Care News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the home health industry.

WiAHC announced that State Representative Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) has been recognized as a “Champion of Home Health Care” for the 2023-2024 state legislative session. This designation is meant to publicly identify legislators for their exceptional work to promote the expanded utilization of skilled home health care as an effective, affordable option for post-acute medical care.

As the Assembly co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, Rep. Born led the approval of the Fiscal Year 2023-2025 budget that included a continuation of the Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) five percent increase from April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025. This rate increase has been invaluable to skilled home health providers throughout Wisconsin, as it has helped home health agencies attract and retain a highly qualified workforce and ensure access to care.

“Representative Born’s leadership ensured that the increase in funding for Home and Community Based Services was included in the state’s Fiscal Year 2023-2025 budget,” said WiAHC Board Chair Jayne Thill. “Home health care agencies in Wisconsin are grateful for his support and leadership,” concluded Thill.

Today, the Wisconsin Association for Home Health Care (WiAHC) announced that State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) has been recognized as a “Champion of Home Health Care” for the 2023-2024 state legislative session.  This designation is meant to publicly identify legislators for their exceptional work to promote the expanded utilization of skilled home health care as an effective, affordable option for post-acute medical care.

As the Senate Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, Sen. Marklein led the approval of the Fiscal Year 2023-2025 budget that included a continuation of the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) five percent increase from April 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025.  This rate increase has been invaluable to skilled home health providers throughout Wisconsin, as it has helped home health agencies attract and retain a highly qualified workforce and ensure access to care. 

“Senator Marklein’s leadership ensured that the increase in funding for Home and Community Based Services was included in the state’s Fiscal Year 2023-2025 budget,” said WiAHC Board Chair Jayne Thill. “Home health care agencies in Wisconsin are grateful for his support and leadership,” concluded Thill.

On Tuesday, September 10, WiAHC Board Chair Jayne Thill and her Compassus colleagues and fellow WiAHC members met with state Rep. Pat Snyder (R-Schofield). During the meeting, the group discussed the value of home health care, and the regulatory and policy challenges faced by the industry. The conversation also touched on the workforce shortage crisis and how it impacts skilled home health care.

Rep. Synder not only listened intently to the group’s overview of the challenges they face in the field, but he also expressed an interest in WiAHC/home health care legislative issues. The WiAHC Government Affairs Team looks forward to continuing to work with Rep. Synder on key legislative priorities.

For dates of service on or after October 1, 2024, DHS will implement the “hard launch” of electronic visit verification (EVV) requirements for the following service codes:

• Home Health Care Service Codes:  92507, 97139, 97799, 99504, 99600, S9123, S9124, T1001, T1021, T1502
• Personal Care Nurse Supervisory Visit Code:  99509

Claims submitted to DHS, HMOs and managed care organizations starting on this date of service that do not include the required EVV information will be denied. 

DHS is imposing these penalties to ensure that the state receives its full allocation of federal Medicaid funding. 

If you have any questions about the EVV hard launch, please feel free to contact DHS EVV Customer Care at 1-833-931-2035 between 7:00AM – 6:00PM (Central Time), Monday through Friday or via email at vdxc.contactevv@wisconsin.gov.