— Hospitals and health systems in Wisconsin provided more than $1.9 billion in charity care and community benefits during 2018, most of which came from covering Medicaid funding shortfalls.
“Community benefits are a very important aspect of what hospitals and health systems do in Wisconsin and how integral they are to their communities,” said Brian Potter, chief operating officer for the Wisconsin Hospital Association.
According to a recent report from WHA, health care providers in the state spent about $184 million on charity care last year, while the cost of Medicaid shortfalls exceeded $1.2 billion.
Losses on other public programs were around $40 million, and nursing home losses were more than $11 million. Meanwhile, subsidized health services cost Wisconsin hospitals and health systems over $136 million in 2018.
“People are familiar with government underfunding and charity care costs — those are significant elements as hospitals and health systems provide excellent quality care and access despite those financial stresses,” Potter said in a statement.
But he said community benefits “go far beyond that” in Wisconsin.
“While the overall community benefits financial amount is significant, it only measures the cost of those benefits from the hospital financial perspective,” he said. “What these contributions mean to Wisconsin communities goes well beyond that and this report sheds more light on that value to local communities.”
Care providers spent more than $67 million on community health improvement services last year. This broad category includes clinical services, community health education, health care support services, and social and environmental improvement activities.
See more: http://www.wisbusiness.com/?p=1449487
— John Deere Horicon Works could earn up to $250,000 in state tax credits for a $24 million expansion of its manufacturing space in Dodge County.
According to a release from WEDC, the company expects to create 12 new jobs over the next three years. As with most WEDC tax credit awards, the actual amount of tax credits earned will hinge on the number of jobs created and the amount of capital invested in the state during that period.
The release shows the company plans to add a 22,000-square-foot building and new equipment to the facility.
Aside from the 12 direct jobs expected to be created, WEDC cites an economic modeling study to estimate the project could create another 14 additional jobs in the area.
John Deere Horicon Works is a subsidiary of Deere & Company, and primarily manufactures lawn equipment and utility vehicles. The business currently has around 800 employees.
See the release: http://wedc.org/blog/wedc-supports-john-deere-project-to-expand-add-jobs/
— Foxconn has been informed by the state that its Mount Pleasant manufacturing site will no longer qualify for tax credits under the original contract.
Various media reports show Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan sent a letter to company leadership noting the current development is substantially different from the originally proposed project. Meanwhile, the company says discussions are ongoing with state officials.
In an interview that aired Sunday on “UPFRONT,” Brennan said Foxconn has “to come back to the table” to talk about how to bring its contract with the state into alignment with its project. “UPFRONT” is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.
“As the project evolves, the state has encouraged Foxconn on any number of occasions, in lots of ways, to come back to the table to talk to us about ‘how do we bring the project into alignment with the contract?’” Brennan said.
The Walker administration negotiated a contract with the Taiwanese tech giant that would give the company more than $3 billion in tax incentives, if Foxconn met a threshold for job creation and investment at the huge plant it is building in Mount Pleasant.
But the project has gone from a large Gen 10.5 factory to a smaller Gen 6 factory, Brennan said, and the contract and incentive package are specific to the larger project.
WISN-TV obtained correspondence between the state and Foxconn that showed a company official questioning whether the Evers administration welcomes business investment in Wisconsin.
“Distractions like these leave job creators and job seekers wondering if doing business in our great state is welcomed by Governor Evers’ administration,” wrote Foxconn executive Alan Yeung in a Nov. 18 letter to Brennan.
Yeung also wrote that the company “shall be evaluating all available options relating to the WEDC contract.”
See more from the program at wisn.com/upfront.
See more in Foxconn Reports below.
— The U.S. Department of Justice is providing about $8.5 million in grants to Wisconsin counties, municipalities and other organizations helping communities impacted by the opioid crisis.
The state DOJ is getting $5 million while Madison is getting $1.2 million. Juneau County is getting $1.1 million through two separate grants. And Barron County is getting nearly $650,000.
Meanwhile, the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians is receiving around $550,000.
Programs being supported in the state include adult drug courts and treatment courts for military veterans. The funds coming to Wisconsin are part of a $333 million package announced recently by the U.S. DOJ.
See the release: http://www.wisbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/U.S.-DOJ-awards-333-million-to-fight-opioid-crisis.pdf
— Madison-based Propeller Health has announced its digital health platform for asthma and COPD has been included in Express Script’s first pre-approved list of digital and mobile health apps and devices.
According to a release, the Express Scripts Digital Health Formulary will initially include 15 digital health solutions that aid in the management of eight of the country’s most common chronic conditions.
“The Express Scripts Digital Health Formulary is an important and necessary pathway that will help ensure people with chronic disease can access clinically proven digital health solutions,” Propeller CEO David Van Sickle said in a statement. “We have carefully developed our technology over nine years to deliver safe and effective care to people with chronic respiratory disease, and inclusion on the Express Scripts Digital Health Formulary is a recognition of the value we provide to patients and plans.”
The Digital Health Formulary will help health plans and employers increase patients’ access to emerging products and technologies, Express Scripts said.
See more at Madison Startups: http://www.madisonstartups.com/propeller-listed-in-digital-health-formulary/
— John Rogers, a former senior Pentagon official and business executive, has published a new book on solving complex problems in business, government and other areas.
Rogers was the campaign director for Matt Flynn’s U.S. Senate race in 1986 and later worked for Wisconsin’s Les Aspin on Congress and the Defense Department..
“The Renaissance Campaign: A Problem-Solving Formula for Your Biggest Challenges” was published recently and is available for purchase on Amazon. See below for an excerpt from the introduction.
“Disruption is everywhere.
“9It interrupts and destabilizes our systems and norms, impacting individuals, organizations,
and indeed, all of our society. We face cultural, environmental, and technological
disruptions on a daily basis. Rarely do we recognize them before they slap us in the face,
either because we try to ignore them, or because we simply don’t see them coming until it’s
too late.
“The more technology advances, the faster change occurs, and the easier it becomes to
proliferate information, deluging our world with so much noise, it’s a wonder we haven’t all
gone deaf.
“We are drowning in data, and the amount of new information we’re expected to absorb
each day is unmanageable without methodologies in place.
“These disruptions have become staples of our lives, the rapid rate of societal change often
hindering progress rather than helping it. Decision-makers in every field can barely keep
up with today’s challenges, much less plan and prepare for tomorrow. Navigating it all feels
like sprinting through a labyrinth.”
Get the full book here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/154451154X?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=W82DYN8SXKQAGFZFR5G7
#TOP STORIES#
# Wisconsin Center to host cannabis expo in February
# Reports suggest Couture developer has secured financing
# Ted and Mary Kellner donate $2.5 million to Cardinal Stritch
# Wisconsin BBB shares warning about scam targeting trucking companies
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Nominations sought for Governor’s Export Achievement Awards
# BANKING
– Town Bank plans to build branch in Whitefish Bay
# EDUCATION
– Wisconsin students selected for CentralStar Co-op Internships
# FOXCONN REPORTS:
– Wisconsin governor: No tax credits for new Foxconn plant
– State tells Foxconn it’s no longer eligible for tax credits
– WEDC says Foxconn not eligible for state tax credits under current contract
– Rift develops between Foxconn, Gov. Evers administration on incentives contract
# LABOR
– Gas explosion injures 1 worker in Waukesha
# LEGAL
– Lawsuits pile up over approved $500M Cardinal-Hickory Creek power line
– No reduced bail for Wisconsin suspect in vaping operation
# MANUFACTURING
– Foxconn and DNC will drive growth for Johnson Controls in 2020, CEO Oliver said
# REAL ESTATE
– Elite Sports Clubs properties sold to real estate investor
# SPORTS
– Fiserv Forum’s ticket surcharge collections exceed first-year expectations
# COLUMNS
– Plain Talk: WMC leads the fight against clean water protection
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Content=82 </i>
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