From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Mike Pochowski, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association.
The discussion centers on legislation being supported by the association, which represents about 2,000 assisted living facilities in Wisconsin. Pochowski argues the bill would improve transparency for referral agencies, which help connect families with long-term care options.
“We’ve been hearing a lot of concerns in terms of, are there ways to enhance consumer transparency with organizations such as these, just to ensure everyone is on the same page and we all know the effect of what these contracts entail, who’s paying for what,” he said.
Under SB 262 and AB 255, an agency that refers a prospective resident to an assisted living facility would be required to disclose any relationship it has with that facility and any fee the facility will pay to the referral agency. Referral agencies would also have to disclose that they only list assisted living facilities with which they have a contractual relationship, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
The legislation includes other provisions related to residents’ ability to terminate services provided by these agencies, how fees are set and collected, as well as financial penalties for violators.
Pochowski shares insights on the contracts between assisted living facilities and referral agencies, noting some require facilities to cover part of the cost of initial rent and care, ranging up to $12,000 per referral in some cases.
“So there’s a huge fee associated with this, that the consumer probably doesn’t know because it’s being advertised as a free service,” he said.
The association is targeting this policy issue after other states have enacted similar legislation, according to Pochowski, including Arizona, Washington, Colorado and Texas.
“We’ve just been hearing a lot of this from our membership, but also from the residents and families who are moving into these facilities, just lots of confusion, lots of questions that come up from this,” he said.
Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.
— U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin says it’s a “huge” disappointment that the funding deal President Donald Trump signed into law to end the government shutdown didn’t extend Affordable Care Act subsidies.
Baldwin, D-Madison, spoke yesterday at The Coopers Tavern on the Capitol Square in Madison following the reopening of the federal government. Baldwin fought to extend enhanced tax credits under the Affordable Care Act as part of a deal to reopen the government, but Republicans rejected the effort.
She appeared alongside local business owners who said their employees need the tax breaks to afford health care. She said even if the Senate approves a bill to extend them, it will be entirely up to GOP Speaker Mike Johnson’s discretion whether he brings it up in the House.
“We do have a commitment from Leader Thune for a vote on a bill that we’ll present, but I can’t tell you how much urgency I feel with the situation right now,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin also said she’s open to discussions to find middle ground with Republicans on the ACA, though she said it would be impossible to make significant changes with only seven weeks to go until the new year.
“But if we were to approve a multi-year extension of the premium tax credits, I think that a number of the proposals that my Republican colleagues have put forward are workable and sensible,” Baldwin said.
She noted concerns about high-income people receiving subsidies and insurance brokers offering zero-dollar premium plans and getting a financial bonus for it.
A state GOP spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.
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