Earlier this month, the WiAHC had the opportunity to ask State Representative Clint Moses (R-Menomonie), Chair of the Assembly Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee, what his health care-related policy goals are for the 2023-24 legislative session. Here is what he had to say:

“My health priorities this session is to address the healthcare workforce shortage and to help make healthcare more affordable and accessible for Wisconsin citizens. Throughout Wisconsin, the health care workforce shortage has reduced accessibility to quality care. We have seen reduced service options and closures of clinics. In many cases, people are driving over an hour plus for a routine checkup. This creates a challenging situation for patients, especially for our aging population who face increasingly difficult decisions when it comes to their healthcare. I have been spending time learning about regulations surrounding Senior Care, IRIS, Nursing Homes, and Hospitals services across the state. I have also been on numerous tours in health care facilities and have met with many health care providers. I look forward to working with all the stakeholders to make Wisconsin a healthy state for all ages.”

Representative Clint Moses (R-Menomonie) represents the 29^th Assembly District in northwestern Wisconsin, which includes portions of Dunn and St. Croix Counties. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2020 and was reelected in 2022. He currently serves at the Chair of the Assembly Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee. Rep. Moses, who resides in Menomonie with his wife and four daughters, is a chiropractor by trade. He operates Red Cedar Chiropractic with his wife, Dr. Nora Moses, and has been caring for residents of Dunn County for 20 years. He is a member of the Chiropractic Society of Wisconsin, Community Foundation of Dunn County, lifetime alumni member of Northwestern Health Sciences University, and has served on the Colfax Health & Rehabilitation Board.

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:

·       In Win For Home-Based Care Providers, Health Care Workforce Bill Passes

Home Health Care News - By Patrick Filbin | March 22, 2023

A bill that passed Wednesday on the state level is being touted as a potential blueprint to mitigating home-based care workforce shortages nationwide. In Frankfort, Kentucky on Wednesday, Gov. Andy Beshear passed the Kentucky Healthcare Workforce Development Act, legislation that aims to combat workforce shortages by building a public-private partnership that is designed to increase workforce training and education initiatives. Read More…

·       Home-Based Care Stakeholders See Public-Private Partnerships As Way To Address Workforce Shortage

Home Health Care News - By Joyce Famakinwa | March 20, 2023

Following the U.S. Senate’s request for information (RFI) regarding solutions to the national health care workforce crisis, the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) submitted a comment letter on Saturday. The letter detailed the challenges the home-based care sector has been facing, and also included possible solutions. Among the potential solutions is recent state legislation that PQHH and others believe could work on a national level. Read more…

·       Biden Administration Calls For $150 Billion For Home- And Community-Based Services

Home Health Care News - By Patrick Filbin | March 9, 2023

The Biden Administration, as part of its 2024 proposed budget, plans to allocate $150 billion for home- and community-based services over the next 10 years. That, and a plan to keep Medicare from becoming insolvent in the near-term future, were the most relevant home-based care takeaways. Read more…

·       Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Expand Home-Based Care Coverage Under Medicaid

Home Health Care News - By Joyce Famakinwa | March 9, 2023

A number of lawmakers – including Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) – introduced a bill Thursday that would expand coverage of home- and community-based services under Medicaid. The HCBS Access Act was introduced by Casey, as a companion bill to the Better Care Better Jobs Act, which was originally unveiled in 2021 and reintroduced in January. 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.

To ensure the voice of citizens is heard across state government, it is critical for Wisconsin residents to understand our electoral process, and even more important for them to cast their vote on election day. And a big election is right around the corner… Wisconsin’s 2023 Spring Election will take place on Tuesday, April 4, and voters will head to the polls to cast their ballots in the WI Supreme Court Race, which could decide the ideological direction of the court for years to come.

In the Feb. 21 Spring primary, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly captured the most votes in the four-way race and will face-off in the April 4 general election. Protasiewicz took 46% of total votes cast, with Kelly coming in a distant second, capturing 24% of the votes. Again, the winner of the general election will decide the ideological direction of the 7-seat high court, which is currently controlled 4-3 by conservative-leaning justices.

In addition, for those of you who live in the 8th Senate District (in southeastern Wisconsin), there is a special election to replace Sen. Alberta Darling (R) who retired from the Wi Senate late last year.  Republican State Representative Dan Knodl is running against Democrat environmental attorney Jodi Habush Sinykin.

For more information about the April 4 Spring Election, including your polling place and which candidates and referendum questions will be on your ballot, simply CLICK HERE. 

Grassroots advocacy is the most powerful tool WiAHC has at its disposal to shape public policy – and building relationships with lawmakers is the most important aspect of grassroots advocacy. In effort to capitalize on our greatest advocacy resource – our membership – WiAHC has established our Coffee Conversations with Legislators advocacy program.

The initiative is designed  to help connect members with their local legislators. Under the program, the WiAHC Government Affairs Team will set-up in-district meetings between WiAHC members and state lawmakers who represent them in the Legislature. These meetings, which can be located at your facility, or a local coffee shop provide a tremendous opportunity for WiAHC members to build or strengthen their relationships with local legislators and to educate them on home health care and on policy issues important to home health care professionals and their patients.

Again, WiAHC encourages all members to participate in this critical grassroots advocacy program. If you’re interested in participating, please contact the WiAHC office at wiahc@badgerbay.co.

By Hoven Consulting – WiAHC’s lobbying firm

• Governor Evers Submits FY2023-2025 Budget Request to Legislature

On Wednesday, February 15, Governor Tony Evers unveiled his budget bill proposal for the Fiscal Year 2023-2025 budget biennium. The budget bill outlines how the State of Wisconsin will administer tax dollars, program revenue, and federal aid dollars over the next two years. In total, the budget aims to spend $103.8 billion ($52.1 billion in FY2023-2024 and $51.7 billion in FY2024-2025) on state government programs.  For fiscal year 2023-2024, that's a $7.9 billion increase (17.9 percent) over the budget proposed by Evers in 2021. 

The most significant increase in state tax dollar spending is in the following state agencies/areas:

LARGEST BIENNIAL GPR (General Purpose Revenue) INCREASES OVER 2021-2023 FUNDING LEVELS

·        Department of Public Instruction:  $2.809 billion

·        Shared Revenue and Tax Relief:  $1.099 billion

·        Department of Administration:  $1.019 billion

·        Public Service Commission:  $755 million

·        Department of Health Services:  $716 million

·        Department of Children and Families:  $512 million

·        Department of Workforce Development:  $265 million

·        All Other Changes:  $1.656 billion

·        TOTAL:  $8.831 billion

The bill has now been sent to the Wisconsin legislature where it will be reviewed by the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC). The committee will review and amend the budget bill after having several public hearings across the state at which citizens may testify. After JFC has passed the bill, it will then be sent to the State Assembly and Senate for passage, likely in June.

It's important to note that Republican legislative leaders have stated publicly that they do not support the Governor's budget proposal. Republicans control both houses of the legislature and major changes to the proposal are expected.

• WiAHC Sends Legislative Priorities Letter to All Legislators

On January 27, WiAHC’s lobbyists sent an introductory letter to all Wisconsin state legislators.  In the letter, we provided background information on what exactly skilled home health care is and shared WiAHC’s state legislative agenda for the 2023-2024 legislative session.  WiAHC provided legislators with a “legislative leave-behind” document that includes this information. 

• WiAHC Requests DHS to Remove Professional Advisory Bodies from State Regulations

On January 26, WiAHC Board Chair Jayne Thill sent a letter to DHS Deputy Secretary Deb Standridge – the most senior DHS official on that date – requesting that the department update an outdated administrative rule relating to professional advisory bodies for home health agencies.  In particular, WiAHC requested that they bring state regulations in line with federal regulations by eliminating professional advisory bodies but maintaining governing bodies along with regulatory oversight for ensuring the quality of care and patient safety.  We requested that they make this change in their biannual comprehensive list of regulatory updates. 

• DHS Releases State Health Improvement Plan

On February 2, DHS released its 2023-2027 State Health Improvement Plan.  Under state law, DHS is required to craft a public health agenda for the state at least once per decade – this plan meets that requirement.  Further, this plan helps maintain DHS as an accredited state health department, per the requirements of the Public Health Accreditation Board. 

In summary, the report recommends the following three “foundational shifts” in how Wisconsin addresses public health:

·        Institutional and systemic fairness

·        Representation and access to decision-making

·        Community-centered resources and services

Also, it highlights the following priority areas – areas that are critical to ensuring the wellness of Wisconsinites:

·        Social and community conditions

·        Physical, mental, and systemic safety

·        Person and community centered health care

·        Social connectedness and belonging

·        Mental and emotional health and well-being

The full report may be viewed on the DHS website. 

• Home Health Care Services Electronic Visit Verification Public Forum on March 2

DHS will hold an online public forum on Thursday, March 2, 2023, from 1:00 – 3:00PM addressing the electronic visit verification (EVV) requirement for home health care services.  During this forum, DHS representatives will discuss the federal requirement to implement EVV for Medicaid-covered personal care and applicable home care services and answer any questions that attendees may have.  Attendees may submit questions in advance to DHS by emailing:  dhsevv@dhs.wisconsin.gov. 

For more information on this public forum, including the Zoom meeting link and call-in number, please go to the DHS EVV Forum page.

As mentioned above, Gov. Evers recently introduced his 2023-25 budget proposal – the state’s two-year spending plan – before a Joint Session of the Wisconsin Legislature. Although the Republican-controlled Legislature is expected to scrap most of the Evers budget and craft their own version by working off current spending levels, it is likely the Legislature will adopt some of the governor’s proposals.

According to Evers, his budget includes proposals that would increase access to affordable healthcare coverage, improve the quality of healthcare services in the state, and expand the scope of benefits available through Medicaid. Please find below a brief overview of items included in governor’s budget proposal that may be of interest to WiAHC members:

• Expand Medicaid eligibility for parents and adults from 100% of the federal poverty line ($27,750 annually in 2022 for a family of four) to 138% of the federal poverty line ($38,300 annually in 2022 for a family of four). According to the Evers Administration, this expansion would result in 89,700 low-income individuals becoming eligible for Medicaid, of which approximately 30,300 are uninsured. Under this proposal, the state would realize a savings of over $1.6 billion and draw down an additional $2.2 billion in federal funding over the two-year budget cycle. Republicans who control the Legislature are firmly opposed to this proposal.

• Provide $200 million in additional funding for Wisconsin Innovation Grants, a current program previously funded with federal dollars to design and implement plans to address workforce challenges. This proposal includes a $100 million allocation to specifically focus on fortifying the state’s healthcare workforce by providing grants to healthcare employers and related organizations.

• Provide $22.5 million to establish an ongoing Innovation Grant program for healthcare employers to engage in improved recruitment and retention of long-term care providers.

• Provide $10 million to expand the state’s nurse educators program.

• Provide $5 million GPR in additional funding for the Worker Advancement Initiative to support efforts by technical colleges and nursing schools to reduce barriers to graduation and assist students in becoming career ready.

• Provide $8 million for continuation of the WisCaregiver Careers program, which aims to address the shortage of certified nursing assistants in the state by supporting recruitment, training and retention of individuals to care for nursing home residents across Wisconsin.

• Provide over $900,000 to the Department of Workforce Development to support healthcare profession apprenticeship curriculum development and to advance new collaborations related to healthcare workforce.

• Provide nearly $4 million and increased staffing to the Department of Safety and Professional Services to streamline the state’s credentialling process for licensed professionals and provide more efficient processing of license applications.

The WiAHC Government Affairs Team will continue to analyze the recently introduced budget bill and keep the membership updated throughout the budget process.

Earlier this month, Gov. Tony Evers announced his appointment of Kirsten Johnson as the next secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). Johnson, who begins her new role on Feb. 27, will replace former Secretary Karen Timberlake’s who left the state agency at the end of 2022. 

According to a press release issued by the governor’s office, Johnson has over 20 years of experience as a public health leader in local, state, national, and international organizations. Most recently, she served as the health commissioner for the city of Milwaukee following her appointment in January 2021. Prior to serving the city of Milwaukee, Johnson led the Washington-Ozaukee Public Health Department for more than a decade as the director and health officer. Johnson also served as a health policy fellow and advisor for U.S. Congressman Ron Kind and helped develop policy for the House Committee on Ways and Means.

“Over the past 20 years of my career in public health, I have worked to address the challenges and health disparities facing Wisconsin’s rural, urban, and suburban communities alike—disparities that were laid bare by the pandemic,” said Johnson. “I am excited and honored to join Gov. Evers’ administration to lead DHS, where I look forward to using my expertise and knowledge to continue this important work.” 

Johnson has her master’s degree in public health from Tulane University of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and holds certifications as a public health professional and certified education specialist.

In the closely watched Feb. 21 primary for the Wisconsin Supreme Court – which centered on the issue of abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 – liberal-leaning Milwaukee County Judge Janet Protasiewicz and conservative former Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly captured the most votes in the four-way race and will face-off in the April 4 general election. Protasiewicz took 46% of total votes cast, with Kelly coming in a distant second, capturing 24% of the votes. The winner of the general election will decide the ideological direction of the 7-seat high court, which is currently controlled 4-3 by conservative-leaning justices.

The other high-profile primary race saw Republican state Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) defeat fellow state Rep. Janel Brandtjen in the GOP primary for the 8th WI Senate District. Knodl will face Democrat Jodi Habush Sinykin in the April 4 spring election for the chance to replace former Republican Sen. Alberta Darling, who left office in Dec. 2022 after holding the senate seat for three decades. If Knodl ultimately wins the seat, Republicans will hold a veto-proof majority in the senate.

Grassroots advocacy is the most powerful tool WiAHC has at its disposal to shape public policy – and building relationships with lawmakers is the most important aspect of grassroots advocacy. In effort to capitalize on our greatest advocacy resource – our membership – WiAHC has established our Coffee Conversations with Legislators advocacy program.

The initiative is designed  to help connect members with their local legislators. Under the program, the WiAHC Government Affairs Team will set-up in-district meetings between WiAHC members and state lawmakers who represent them in the Legislature. These meetings, which can be located at your facility, or a local coffee shop provide a tremendous opportunity for WiAHC members to build or strengthen their relationships with local legislators and to educate them on home health care and on policy issues important to home health care professionals and their patients.

Again, WiAHC encourages all members to participate in this critical grassroots advocacy program. If you’re interested in participating, please contact the WiAHC office at wiahc@badgerbay.co.

Please bring your questions about electronic visit verification (EVV) and the Sandata EVV system to our monthly Q&A session, Key Conversations. There, you will join experts from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Wisconsin EVV Customer Care, and Sandata. Next session: February 20, 2023, 1-2pm CT Online Zoom link:  https://dhswi.zoomgov.com/j/1601125213 Call in: 1-669-254-5252, Webinar ID* 160 112 5213  Key Conversations are informal, monthly drop-in sessions for anyone who has questions about EVV. No new policy or technical processes will be announced in these sessions. If you have any questions, please reach out to Wisconsin EVV Customer Care at 833-931-2035 or vdxc.contactevv@wisconsin.gov.   Thank you, Wisconsin DHS EVV Team Reminder Electronic visit verification (EVV) has been required in Wisconsin for Medicaid-covered personal care and supportive home care services since November 2, 2020. In order for Wisconsin Medicaid to continue to receive its full federal funding, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is required to begin imposing consequences for failure to capture required EVV information. For dates of service on and after May 1, 2023, DHS will begin imposing financial and programmatic consequences when EVV information is not captured for required personal care and supportive home care services (service codes T1019, T1020, S5125, and S5126). Consequences include claim denial, exclusion from future capitation rate setting development, and possible IRIS (Include, Respect, I Self-Direct) participant disenrollment. The beginning of these consequences is known as hard launch. For more information, review ForwardHealth Update No, 2022-48.

Wisconsin EVV Customer Care: 833-931-2035 Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–6 p.m. CT vdxc.contactevv@wisconsin.gov