Last month, the legislative update included an article regarding two important pieces of legislation introduced in the State Legislature. The first provides Medicaid reimbursement for services provided via telehealth. The second seeks to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for home health agencies by 10 percent. In September, both bills had some promising movement in the legislative process. 

First, the Assembly version telehealth bill, Assembly Bill 410, received a public hearing in the Assembly Committee on Medicaid Reform and Oversight on September 24. WiAHC submitted written testimony to the committee in favor of the bill. In general, the hearing went very well with no testimony in opposition to the bill. The next step is for the committee to vote the bill out of committee. Doing so would allow the bill to receive a vote on the Assembly floor. 

The Senate version, Senate Bill 380, was referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. 

The home health Medicaid reimbursement bill, Assembly Bill 447 and Senate Bill 416, were both referred to standing committees. Assembly Bill 447 was sent to the Assembly Committee on Medicaid Reform and Oversight, of which bill author Rep. Rob Brooks is the vice chairman of the committee. Senate Bill 416 was referred to the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. 

Upon official introduction, Assembly Bill 447 and Senate 416 had a bipartisan list of forty cosponsors, which, in general terms, shows significant support for the bills.  

Both bills are awaiting public hearings and WiAHC’s lobbyists are working with the respective committee chairs to schedule those hearings. The lobbying team will continue to provide updates as they advocate for both bills.  

Earlier this month, Congressman James Sensenbrenner announced he is not seeking reelection the the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. A few weeks prior, Congressman Sean Duffy announced he would be resigning his seat in Congress in September. Both announcements sparked a flurry of speculation about who may run to fill the positions. 

Speculation has since solidified into official announcements. State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R – Juneau) announced he will run to replace Sensenbrenner in 2020, and State Senator Tom Tiffany (R – Minocqua) is running in the special election to succeed Duffy. While not officially announced, State Senator Chris Kapenga (R – Delafield) is considering jumping in the Republican primary with Fitzgerald. 

Sensenbrenner, who twenty terms in the House of Representatives, leaves open the 5^th Congressional district seat. The 5^th is the most conservative district in the state, which means the real race will be in the Republican primary. Should Fitzgerald, Kapenga, or another Republican challenger win the primary, they would be shoo-ins in the general election. There is currently some speculation that former Governor Scott Walker’s son, Matt Walker, may jump in the race. 

Duffy’s retirement leaves the 7^th Congressional district open. Duffy, a Republican, won the seat with at least 60% of the vote in the last three elections. Political spectators believe the expect the seat to remain Republican. Governor Tony Evers announced a special election will take place on January 27 with primaries on December 30.