From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Wisconsin’s Medicaid Director Bill Hanna says he’s actively talking with lawmakers and state officials about the potential impact of Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” in Wisconsin.
“We’ve been having lots of conversations in Madison, especially with our colleagues in the fiscal bureau who collectively work on finalizing numbers for both the Legislature and the governor to come to some agreement on how much we need to set aside to run, to continue to run our well-run program here,” Hanna told WISN 12’s UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics.
Hanna estimates the bill as it’s currently written will impact roughly 63,000 Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin with new work requirements and cost the state $8 million to implement the changes in the first year.
“I think the read is that the department’s estimates are on par with the same way the Fiscal Bureau would read and interpret the implications on the House bill as it currently stands,” Hanna said. “It’s about 63,000 individuals that currently would not be meeting the work requirements with the data we have today
“We’re not predicting on how people would change their behavior because of the bill, but they are currently not meeting that 80-hour minimum requirement that’s included in the bill,” Hanna added. “They either need to meet the work requirements, send in additional paperwork to meet one of the long list of exemptions that are in the bill, or ultimately, if they do not meet the work requirements or do not meet the exemption requirements, they would become uninsured.”
Hanna said those individuals would also not be eligible to purchase insurance on the federal marketplace.
“The technical rule is that they had access to Medicaid,” Hanna said. “And if you have access to Medicaid but for the work requirements, you are not eligible for subsidies on the marketplace.”
Hanna said the state is also closely tracking the impact on FoodShare benefits in the state, which he said could place the burden on state taxpayers by hundreds of millions of dollars.
“That’s a much bigger cost shift,” he said.
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— Froedtert ThedaCare Health today announced Lynn Detterman has been appointed president of the health system’s north region.
This area covers the Fox Valley and five nearby rural markets, along with Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, Manitowoc and Sheboygan.
Detterman joined the health system in 2020 and previously was senior vice president of ThedaCare’s south region. While at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah, she oversaw the creation of a new obstetrical emergency department and hospitalist program. And the release notes she was “instrumental” in the formation of two new health campuses in Oshkosh and Fond du Lac.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to step into this new role where I can continue supporting our teams who are providing comprehensive and high-quality care for patients and families,” she said in a statement.
See the release below.
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