Gov. Doyle: Announces $637,000 grant to create consumer assistance program for residents

Contact: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162

MADISON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced Wisconsin will receive $637,114 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to fund a Consumer Assistance Program. The grant will fund state efforts to protect consumers through the Patient’s Bill of Rights set forth in national health care reform and provide residents with additional assistance and advocacy in resolving issues with health insurance coverage.

“Through national health care reform, we are putting patients in charge of their health care and creating a Patient’s Bill of Rights to protect residents from insurance company abuses,” Governor Doyle said. “The Consumer Assistance Program is another step in national health care reform that puts patients first and builds on Wisconsin’s national health care leadership. I want to thank President Obama for taking this historic step forward for health care and helping to extend coverage to more than 32 million Americans, and more than 125,000 Wisconsin residents.”

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced $30 million in Consumer Assistance Grants to states to assist consumers with health insurance complaints and appeals. The Consumer Assistance Program was created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The program will help residents in addressing their questions or concerns regarding their health insurance such as filing complaints, promoting education, and working through appeal and enrollment processes.

The consumer assistance grant will help Wisconsin build upon the current infrastructure that provides for consumer education and complaint filing. It will also provide guidance on health care options and advocacy when working with insurers and other state agencies. Additionally, the grant will allow the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to collect comprehensive data for the state and HHS to understand and address where consumers are experiencing problems.

Last month marked the six-month anniversary of national health care reform. In the first six months, national health care reform brought more than $100 million into Wisconsin – for the public and private sector combined. In the years to come, Wisconsin will receive billions of dollars to help employers, public health and state taxpayers.

On September 30, Governor Doyle announced the state is receiving a $1 million grant from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to begin work on an online health insurance exchange. By 2014, Wisconsin will launch an online health care marketplace – a one-stop, online resource where business owners and families find apples-to-apples comparisons of what health plans are available in their area, what benefits they cover and exactly how much they cost. Consumers will have access to information in an easy to understand format, and by combining their purchasing power, individuals and small business owners will have access to greatly reduced premiums. Nationwide, more than 13.5 million new employees will have employer-sponsored health care through the exchange, because for the first time in years health insurance will be affordable for small- and medium-sized businesses.

* Residents across the state and nation are already seeing the benefits of national health care reform. Because of national health care reform:

* No American child with a pre-existing condition can be denied coverage under their parents’ health care plan;

* There can be no annual or lifetime limits on essential benefits;

* Insurance companies cannot drop your coverage just because you get sick;

* You won’t be charged co-pays or deductibles for preventive care – so no one will have to put off a flu shot or a mammogram because they can’t afford one;

* Coverage of emergency services are not subject to prior authorization;

* Young adults up to 26 will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans while they look for a good paying job with benefits – something that is already happening in Wisconsin;

* The donut hole in Medicare Part D has been effectively eliminated as seniors have gotten rebate checks;

* Parents who keep their young adult children on their health plans have received a federal tax cut;

* Adults with pre-existing conditions who struggle to find affordable coverage have been given a new option through Wisconsin’s high risk pool plan;

* State universities and teaching hospitals have received millions to train more doctors and nurses, including UW-La Crosse, Viterbo College and Franciscan Skemp;

* More than 50 large employers have qualified for grants to cover up to 80 percent of the costs of covering their early retirees, with more Wisconsin companies being approved every day; and

* Small businesses that choose to offer coverage are beginning to receive tax credits to help make employee coverage more affordable.

Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, Wisconsin has built one of the best systems of health care access through BadgerCare Plus, BadgerCare Plus Core, SeniorCare and FamilyCare. Wisconsin is now America’s health care leader, ranking first for health care quality, second in access to coverage, and providing health care access to every child. Governor Doyle has also positioned Wisconsin as a leader in e-health and quality initiatives. National health reform builds on Wisconsin’s health care successes and will bring $750-980 million in additional federal funding to the state, providing real relief to Wisconsin taxpayers.