From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— The Senate Health Committee has voted 5-0 by paper ballot to advance a bill seeking to protect independent pharmacies and ensure patients get the medications they need by changing the way the state regulates pharmacy benefit managers.
The committee unanimously signed off on an amendment by lead author and Senate President Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk.
The amendment makes several changes, including eliminating a requirement that pharmacy benefit managers pay a pharmacy or pharmacist a professional dispensing fee at a rate no less than is paid by the state under Medicaid.
Felzkowski’s office told WisPolitics the change was made as a compromise due to concerns about the fiscal impact. The provision was estimated to increase costs to the state Group Health Insurance Program by $20 million annually.
SB 203, also known as “Cole’s Act,” is named in honor of Cole Schmidtknecht. Schmidtknecht died of an asthma attack at 22 years old after a pharmacy benefit manager changed coverage of his daily steroid inhaler, bringing the price from $66 to $539.19, which he couldn’t afford.
Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are entities contracted to administer or manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of an insurer, cooperative, or other entity that provides prescription drug benefits.
Last session’s version of the bill did not see a floor vote in either chamber.
— State health officials have now confirmed 14 total cases of measles in the state after identifying five more in Oconto County.
The state Department of Health Services says the newly announced cases are linked to the nine confirmed there in early August, indicating measles is spreading in the community.
Traci DeSalvo, director of the agency’s Bureau of Communicable Diseases, today said the youngest person among those with measles is 7 months old while the oldest is 53 years old. She added no measles-related hospitalizations or deaths have been reported.
“Based on our investigation to date, the majority of cases are unvaccinated,” she said today during an online news conference.
DHS and local public health agencies are investigating the cases and working to identify those who may have been exposed, DeSalvo said.
“These cases are being identified as we continue to see cases of measles across the United States, with cases being reported in 42 states so far this year,” she said.
Amid these outbreaks, DHS is urging state residents to check if they’re protected against the measles, and if not, to get vaccinated.
See the release below.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin is touting legislation to provide premium-free medical insurance for members of the National Guard and Reserve.
The Madison Dem notes 16% or nearly 130,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve don’t have private health insurance. She argues these service members “deserve and have earned” affordable, high-quality health care.
“My bill doesn’t just deliver earned benefits to our troops, it’s also an investment in military readiness to ensure service members get the care they need to stay healthy,” she said in the release.
The Healthcare for Our Troops Act would also offer qualifying service members the option to complete annual medical readiness requirements with a preferred civilian provider, which would save more than $162 million per year in contracted medical assessments, according to the release.
Jeannie Jeanetta, president of the Wisconsin National Guard Association, is urging Congress to advance the bill, noting a lack of health care coverage for members impacts readiness, retention and wellbeing.
“Our service members are asked to do more than ever — responding to domestic emergencies, deploying overseas, filling critical roles,” she said in a statement. “They deserve continuous, no-cost access to healthcare to ensure they remain healthy, resilient, and mission-ready”
See the bill text and see the release below.
— In the latest GOP radio address, Rep. Rob Brooks highlights budget provisions to improve health care access and affordability across the state.
The Saukville Republican emphasizes “budget wins” relating to Medicaid reimbursement rates, including funding increases of $4.6 million for obstetric services and $6.2 million for opioid treatment.
“By increasing the hospital assessment, Wisconsin secured additional federal matching funds that hospitals can use to meet their individual needs while also helping offset Medicaid costs,” Brooks says.
Brooks says the budget also increases health care access through grants. He says around $3.5 million of grant funds were divided between federally qualified health centers, health center “lookalikes” and free and charitable clinics. Further, he says a $150,000 one-time grant for the Surgical Collaborative of Wisconsin will bolster efforts to enhance surgical care quality.
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Press Releases
– U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Introduces bill to provide healthcare for all troops
