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State Republicans pass abortion bills destined for Evers veto pen

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Senate Republicans have passed a package of bills aimed at curbing abortions and preventing abortion providers from receiving financial aid.

Things got heated during floor debate, with Democrat Senator Lena Taylor calling out the G-O-P members, and specifically Senator Alberta Darling.

“Or the Senator from the 8th who believes that Milwaukee doesn’t care about their children. Have any of them come to you-” “Senator from the 4th” “This is what the Senator said, Mr President, during Finance.”

The most prominent of the bills would require doctors to preform lie saving procedures on any fetus that survives an abortion procedure. That’s something that Democrats say doctors are already required to do, but is so rare to happen as to make a bill about it pointless.

One of the bills would require clinics to keep more stringent medical records of who’s getting abortions, and to force doctors to give advice on ‘abortion reversals’ This is Republican Senator Chris Kapenga.

“What we’re asking is that doctors are required to let the mother know that after the ingestion of this first pill, that is will be possible, if they did not take the second pill to possibly save the child.” Democrats say that’s untested science and infringes on the relationship between a doctor and their patient. 

The third bill would stop women from seeking abortions based on demographics. Republican Senator Patrick Testin says the bill is about equal rights.

“What we have before you is an opportunity to make a stand here in the state of Wisconsin, that we will not allow abortions based on an individual’s sex, gender, and potential disability.”

Senator Taylor said the G-O-P’s concern over discrimination in abortions is outlandish.

“But the hypocrisy, and the racist policies that get done in this building, to hear those words is insulting.”

Governor Evers has already said he’ll veto all the bills. Republicans do not have the votes to overturn a veto.

 

Agencies partner in health care outreach initiative

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Two state agencies are partnering to help people access health care. Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm said the joint effort with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance will reach out, to some 290,000 thousand uninsured Wisconsin adults. “Shift workers, direct care workers, child care workers. These are the folks that end up falling through the gaps when we as a team . . . are not focused on making sure that those folks are accessing the care that they are eligible for.”


The goal is to inform more people aware of their options with BadgerCare or through the private insurance marketplace. “A major piece of this initiative is the education, and making the options available of coverage,” said Insurance Commissioner Mark Afable

Palm and Afable announced the partnership in a Capitol press conference on Monday, with Governor Tony Evers. Evers said he’ll continue to advocate for Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin. “Seventy percent of the people in the state have indicated in the most recent poll that they favor Medicaid expansion. We’re going to continue to fight for that.”

The legislature’s budget panel has removed a provision from Evers’ budget proposal, to accept $1.6 billion in new federal funding for Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin. Joint Finance Committee co-chair John Nygren, opposed to accepting the money, has said that expanding Medicaid is the same as expanding welfare, and not the right path to increase access and affordability.

Wisconsin joins lawsuit against Perdue Pharma for its role in the opioid crisis

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Wisconsin is joining several other states in a lawsuit against Perdue Pharma, the creator of OxyContin.

Attorney general Josh Kaul says the company and its leader Richard Sackler conspired to deceive the public about the drug to push sales.

“Benefits of opioids were overstated in an effort to change the culture regarding the prescription of opioids, to reduce the reluctance that the public had in taking opioids and the reluctance that prescribers had in prescribing opioids.”

Kaul says the push for profits started the opioid drug crisis in America. “Their conduct constitutes a public nuisance.”

“This was not inevitable. We allege that the opioid epidemic is in part attributable to the deceptive marketing practices of Perdue Pharma, which Richard Sackler played a significant role in directing and overseeing.”

Iowa, Kansas, Maryland and West Virginia are all joining in the lawsuit.

Assembly passes “born alive,” other GOP abortion bills

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On a largely partisan 62 to 35 vote, the state Assembly has passed a bill to require doctors care for infants who survive abortion. It’s author, Majority Leader Jim Steinke, told Democrats it’s not an “anti-abortion” bill, but rather “pro-life.”

“This bill is about caring for babies that survive abortions, that take that first breath of life,” Steinke said. The bill got no Democratic votes and was one of four Republican abortion related bills taken up and passed on Wednesday. If passed by the Senate, all face certain vetoes by Governor Tony Evers.

“When you propose bills that insert new criminal penalties for doctors, for providing the medical care that science tells them is the best possible care that they can provide, you have the effect of chilling that care,” said Representative Lisa Subeck, a Madison Democrat.

State advocates assist nursing home residents as closures increase

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As more and more nursing homes continue to close across the state, health care advocates are working to help ensure safe placements of residents.

Jennifer Fischer with the Dane County Aging and Disability Resource Center says local ADRC groups are involved any time a facility is scheduled to close.

“They’re very familiar with the resources in the community and know the different living situations.”

Under state law, facilities are supposed to give residents and families a month’s notice before a closure. Fischer says companies are supposed to give families thirty days notice before a closure so that residents can calmly transition into a new home.

“Because it can be very scary leaving a place where you potentially have lived for quite a period of time.”

If your loved one is in a nursing home that’s closing, be sure to contact your local ADRC to get involved. Eleven nursing homes have closed this year in Wisconsin and nearly thirty more are in either bankruptcy or receivership.

Efforts underway to stem measles outbreak in Wisconsin

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With concerns about measles across the country, efforts are underway to make immunizations available in Wisconsin, and to encourage parents to get their kids immunized. This week, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is opening nearly two dozen measles clinics across the state. Parents can make an appointment at any clinic to get their kids an MMR shot. Children’s Hospital says the idea is keep kids out of the hospital.

On Thursday, the Journal Sentinel reported that more than 11,000 children in Milwaukee are not vaccinated, creating risk for measles outbreak. The University of Wisconsin in Madison said it may require students to get measles shots. Administrators say they’re looking into what other Big Ten universities are doing.

And on Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced the launch of a statewide campaign to encourage parents to get their children immunized. The campaign includes advertisements on radio, the web, and social media platforms, and is targeted to parents of kids up to three years old, and pregnant women who are making decisions about immunizing their babies. State Public Health Officer Jeanne Ayers said that while measles is on everyone’s mind with outbreaks across the country, it’s important for parents to know immunizations protect children from 14 serious illnesses, some that could be deadly. In 2018, the statewide vaccination rate for children two years old and younger was just over 72 percent.

Marshfield Clinic and Gunderson Health will explore merger

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Two of Wisconsin’s largest health care providers are discussing a possible merger. Gunderson Health and Marshfield Clinic Health System will spend the coming months working out details of a possible merger that could create a health system led by more than 2,000 clinicians and with more than 18,000 total employees.

“Over the last few years, we have worked relentlessly to position ourselves for the future and create a better framework for serving our patients and communities,” said Susan Turney, MD, chief executive officer, Marshfield Clinic Health System. “While at the same time, the disruption in the industry and competitive nature of healthcare has made it vital we construct a dynamic and strong integrated health system. This merger would give us an opportunity to combine the unique strengths of our systems to become the preeminent rural healthcare organization in the country.”

If they were to merge, Marshsfield Health System and Gunderson would have 13 hospitals, and more than 100 medical clinics, eye centers, dental centers, urgent care clinics, and pharmacies.

WDLB

Department of Health Services releases county by county breakdown of Medicaid expansion impacts

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The Department of Health Services is out with a report that lays out how much Wisconsin stands to gain if the state accepts federal Medicaid funding.

Secretary-designee Andrea Palm says that money along with Governor Evers’ budget would bring 2 point 4 billion dollars in investments to community health care.

“We took our budget and the initiatives and the coverage expansion and broke it down by county, so that everybody could see what expansion could mean for health care in their community.”

Palm says it’s much easier to grasp the impact of this funding when you can see specific projects laid out for you. A bulk of that extra 1 point 6 billion dollars a year will go towards improving and expanding medical services to local communities.

“Small clinics, small rural hospitals, small nursing homes often times are really anchor institutions in small communities.”

She says every doctor you place in a community can support over 20 jobs, like lab techs and nursing assistants.

You can find a copy of that report online at https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/budget/county.htm

 

New bill would remove personal conviction exemption from child vaccination laws

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A bipartisan group of legislators is looking to remove the Personal Conviction exemption from vaccine requirements.

State Representative Lisa Subeck says there’s just too many people preventing their children from getting vaccines. 

“Over the last 20 years, we’ve gone from just one percent of families opting their children out of vaccines, to now more than five percent of Wisconsin children opting out of vaccinations.”

That’s more than double the national average, and Subeck says that puts the state at a severe risk of losing basic group immunities to entirely preventable diseases. Subeck says social media hoaxes are somewhat to blame for the rise unvaccinated children.

“These days it’s been harder and harder for people filter out misinformation from real information, and as a result more people are opting out out of fear, and that needs to stop.” The bill would still allow exemptions for religious reasons, and for children who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

Late season flu spike in Wisconsin

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It’s still flu season in Wisconsin. Public health officials say they’re seeing a spike in late-season flu cases. An increasing number of those cases involve a strain of the flu virus that this season’s vaccine is ineffective against.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services recommends the usual precautions, such as washing your hands.There have been 36 influenza-related deaths in Wisconsin this season.