State Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) is co-sponsoring legislation what would extend health insurance coverage for spouses and children of law enforcement officers who are killed in the line of duty. He is backing the legislation in honor of Jason Zunker, was killed in the line of duty in January 2008. (CHIPPEWA HERALD, 2/7)
The Pierce County Board of Supervisors reached its first agreement with one of six labor unions Feb. 1. The board unanimously approved the collective bargaining agreement with the Labor Association of Wisconsin (L.A.W.) -- Community Health Association (CHA). The agreement begins Jan. 1 and expires Dec. 31, 2012. (RIVER FALLS JOURNAL, 2/7)
A new law intended to provide better information on physicians' fees and the prices for hospital services offers consumers nothing of value so far. The Health Care Transparency law, which took effect Jan. 1, provides no information that consumers might actually want, such as what health plans pay hospitals on average for a normal birth or an angioplasty or to repair a rotator cuff. Nor does the law, at least initially, provide accurate information on physicians' fees. (JOURNAL SENTINEL, 2/7)
A battle over whether a Wauwatosa outpatient facility should pay property taxes has made its way to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court, where the end result could have far-reaching implications on how health care is delivered in the state. (WHN, 2/4)
Wisconsin hospitals netted an additional $235 million in Medicaid payments in 2010 thanks to an assessment on their gross patient revenues. That’s according to a required annual report the Department of Health Services delivered to the Joint Committee on Finance this week. (WHN, 2/4)
U.S. health secretary Kathleen Sebelius sent a letter to governors yesterday emphasizing the flexibility they already have to cut Medicaid programs as they struggle with daunting state budgets. (WHN, 2/4)
Gov. Scott Walker talked proudly in his State of the State speech this week about what he calls, quoting Coach Vince Lombardi, his "singleness of purpose." To figure out what that is, all you need is a copy of the his speech and some simple math. The social issue that has dominated national news over the past couple of years, "health," is close to the bottom, writes Shawn Doherty of the Capital Times. (CAPITAL TIMES, 2/4)
Almost two-thirds of Wood County residents are overweight or obese. That's something Healthy People Wood County is working to change with a $2.3 million obesity prevention grant it received in March 2010. (MARSHFIELD NEWS-HERALD, 2/4)
U.S. Rep. Ron Kind spent much of a forum Thursday continuing to counter what he termed misconceptions that seniors have about the federal health care overhaul law. Government won't have access to personal bank accounts and won't send 17,000 IRS agents to enforce the Affordable Care Act, as one man claimed at the forum, the La Crosse Democrat said. (LA CROSSE TRIBUNE, 2/4)
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