From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— A former CMS administrator warned of an “impending health care crisis” if ACA health insurance subsidies aren’t extended, noting premiums could rise by thousands of dollars for Wisconsin enrollees.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the former administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, joined a call today hosted by the progressive group Opportunity Wisconsin.
She blamed congressional Republicans and the Trump administration for expected price hikes if premium tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans expire at year’s end.
“It’s a crisis, I want to emphasize, [that] was not inevitable, but rather a choice that Republicans and President Trump have made for the American people,” she said, adding “after shutting down the government for 40 days, Republicans have also made it clear that they will end the ACA enhanced insurance tax credits for working people.”
Wisconsin lawmakers were divided over health care costs ahead of a vote earlier today on a Dem bill to extend enhanced ACA tax credits for three years before they expire at the end of the month.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, has repeatedly pushed for the renewal of the subsidies to prevent Americans from facing unaffordable health care costs. U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, has criticized the ACA as a failure and argued against renewing the subsidies. See more in this week’s DC Wrap.
When 2026 premiums were unveiled in early November, Brooks-LaSure said it became clear that “it is actually a lot worse” than many predicted, with premiums increasing by 26% on average.
She noted these expected increases could impact the nearly 300,000 ACA plan enrollees in Wisconsin. For example, a 60-year-old couple in the state making about $86,000 would see their average premiums rise by $24,000, Brooks-LaSure said.
“This is just the premiums, this doesn’t include what you pay when you go to your doctor,” she said.
Her remarks came just after U.S. Senate Republicans today rejected the proposal to extend ACA subsidies for three years.
“It does appear that in fact, these premium increases and reduced cost-sharing help that many feared would happen is going to be the reality for millions of people across this country,” she said of today’s development.
See more in Top Stories below.
— State health officials today issued a recommendation that newborn infants should still be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth, after a CDC committee recently voted to narrow its guidance on the vaccine.
The notice from the state Department of Health Services comes after the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices moved to roll back its previous recommendation that aligned with the state’s guidance. The committee voted to recommend the vaccine should only be given to infants at birth whose mother tests positive or whose mother’s infection status isn’t known, national reports show.
In a release today, DHS Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard says decades of scientific evidence support the state agency’s recommendation to vaccinate against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth, as well as a three-dose vaccine series.
“Today, there is no new evidence that would justify changes to this longstanding recommendation that has protected, and continues to protect, the health of infants,” he said.
Under the DHS guidance issued today, the hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for all newborns, and health care providers in Wisconsin should continue to offer it during the first 24 hours and to finish the full vaccination series within 18 months.
It also includes other recommendations, urging clinicians to stick to “the long-standing established standard of care practice” of informing patients about the risks and benefits of vaccines.
Westergaard says the CDC committee’s recommendation has “created a swirl of confusion and concern” among those in the medical community.
“We encourage Wisconsin parents and health care providers to stay the course and follow the science when making these life-saving decisions,” he said.
See the release below.
— Hospitals and health systems in the state had a $2.2 billion community impact in 2024, including charity care, investments in social determinants of health, professional education and more.
That’s according to the Wisconsin Hospital Association, which today rolled out its 2025 Community Benefits Report.
WHA President and CEO Kyle O’Brien says hospitals are “stepping up where other systems fall short,” even as rising costs, labor shortages and “inadequate” reimbursement are putting a strain on these care providers.
“Whether it’s expanding behavioral health services, supporting substance-use recovery efforts or delivering occupational health programs, Wisconsin hospitals are filling gaps and strengthening communities,” he said in the report.
The total community benefits figures includes about $220 million in charity care at cost, more than $1.3 billion in Medicaid shortfalls, $36 million in losses on other public programs, $105 million in subsidized health services and $15 million in nursing home losses.
O’Brien notes a quarter of hospitals reported operating with negative margins in fiscal year 2024, as uncompensated care provided by hospitals increased by 30%.
“These financial challenges threaten not only health care access, but also the broader community benefits hospitals provide,” he said.
See the report and see the release below.
Top Stories
– 4 GOP senators break ranks to vote for Democratic extension of ObamaCare subsidies
– Senate rejects rival Obamacare bills
– Republicans block bill to extend expiring health insurance subsidies
– Health insurers ask GOP to fix their fraud problem — and extend Obamacare subsidies
– Covid Vaccines Reduced Children’s Likelihood of E.R. and Urgent Care Visits, the C.D.C. Reported
– WHO chief still hopes Trump administration will rethink withdrawal
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