Month: February 2011

The University of Wisconsin medical school says it’s investigating reports that doctors from the school handed out medical excuse notes to protesters at the state Capitol this weekend, the AP reports. Doctors from numerous hospitals set up a station near the Capitol on Saturday to provide notes to explain public employees’ absences from work. (AP, 2/21)

Community health care providers across the state are concerned as the House of Representatives debates legislation to roll back government spending. Scores of programs would face the budget ax under the proposal pushed by Republicans, who control the House. Among the cuts would be $1 billion in funding for community health centers. Such a hit would mean an immediate loss of 60 jobs at the 17 community health centers in Wisconsin and a loss of access to care for 32,000 patients, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers. (OSHKOSH NORTHWESTERN, 2/21)

Debate over Gov. Scott Walker's budget-cutting plan could soon shift to a program that accounts for half of the state's $3.6 billion budget gap over the next two years: Medicaid. At least 50,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage, and many others could face increased fees, reduced benefits or other hurdles. Walker and the Legislature last week proposed giving the state Department of Health Services new powers to seek reforms in Wisconsin's version of the state-federal health plan for the poor. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 2/21)

A common contention among opponents of federal health care reform is that employers will stop providing health benefits after 2014, opting instead to pay a penalty. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/21)

Tens of thousands of individuals have descended upon the state Capitol in response to Gov. Scott Walker's "budget adjustment" proposal. While there has been much attention on the provisions that roll back rights and benefits for Wisconsin public workers, there is a relatively little-known proposal in the same bill that could have severe consequences for our state's medical assistance programs, writes Rep. Sandy Pasch, D-Whitefish Bay, in a column for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/18)

The Obama administration asked a Florida federal judge on Thursday to clarify whether his recent ruling against the new health care law was meant to block its implementation pending appeals. The ruling has led to conflicting interpretations among lawyers for the federal government and for the 26 states, including Wisconsin, that had challenged the law. (NEW YORK TIMES, 2/18)

In a last-ditch effort to stop the passage of Gov. Scott Walker’s controversial budget repair bill by depriving the Senate of a quorum, all 14 Senate Democrats staged a walkout Thursday, leaving the state to avoid a forced return to the Capitol and a doomed vote against the bill. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 2/18)