News

October 26, 2018, Wisconsin Medical Society Medigram  

The Trump Administration this week proposed a new rule that would allow employers to offer employees tax-preferred health reimbursement accounts (HRA) as an alternative to traditional health insurance.

The rule is intended to provide businesses a way to support their employees’ healthcare expenses without requiring employers to shoulder the administrative and financial burdens of offering health plans.

HRAs have been a fixture of employer-based health plans, often as a supplement to existing employer-based insurance. Under the proposed rule, HRAs could be used to satisfy the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, as employers could direct HRA funds to help pay for employee coverage on the individual insurance market. The rule also creates an option for employees to use HRA funds to pay for premiums for a short-term limited duration plan (up to a total of $1,800 per year), provided that the employer also offers a group plan that is not an HRA.

The Administration estimates that 800,000 employers will use HRAs as a way to provide coverage for approximately 10 million employees. See this Fact Sheet for more information.

The Wisconsin Medical Society will prepare and offer comments on proposal. Contact H.J. Waukau, manager of advocacy and regulatory affairs if you have questions.

Source: WMS Medigram 

October 12, 2018, Wisconsin Medical Society Medigram  

Nominations are now being accepted for several Wisconsin Medical Society offices, and all nomination materials are due to the Society’s House of Delegates (HOD) Nominating Committee by Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019. 

Read more.

Join us Oct. 9 for our annual insurance CEO roundtable. Leaders will discuss the most pressing issues facing their industry, including the fate of the Affordable Care Act, prescription drug prices, value-based payments and more.

Panelists:

• Coreen Dicus-Johnson, CEO, Network Health
• Dustin Hinton, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin
• Cathy Mahaffey, CEO, Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative

The event is Tuesday, October 9 at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee (11:30am – 1pm).  Register now (link).

The annual Wisconsin Health News CEO Roundtable is August 14 in Madison. A panel of the state’s leading health system and hospital leaders will discuss the most pressing issues facing their industry.

Panelists include:

• Dr. Sue Turney, CEO, Marshfield Clinic Health System
• Robert Van Meeteren, CEO, Reedsburg Area Medical Center
• Dr. Alan Kaplan, CEO, UW Health

Register now (link).

WMS Medigram Alert - June 27, 2018  

In a decision released this morning, the Wisconsin Supreme Court restored the state’s $750,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical liability cases.

The decision in Mayo v. Wisconsin Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund reverses a 2017 Court of Appeals decision that struck down the cap, which has been integral to Wisconsin’s well-balanced medical liability system and patients’ access to care since 2005.

“We are very pleased with today’s decision,” said Society President Molli Rolli, MD, in this press release . “The Court clearly understands the importance of the cap to our state’s unique and comprehensive medical liability system—a system that provides unparalleled benefits to both patients and physicians.”

The wisconsin Medical Society has been a strong and vocal proponent of the cap since it was created, and in the Mayo case, submitted three separate briefs—jointly with the AMA Litigation Center—articulating the important benefits of the cap as part of Wisconsin’s comprehensive medical liability system.

“The cap helps our state attract and retain top quality physicians and keep medical costs in check, and ultimately ensures Wisconsin citizens’ access to high quality care,” said Society CEO Bud Chumbley, MD.

Join us June 12 for a Newsmaker Event with Mayo Clinic Vice President Dr. Bobbie Gostout. As the leader of Mayo Clinic Health System, Gostout oversees the organization’s hospitals in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. 

11:45 a.m. -1:00 p.m. 

Register here. 

Wisconsin continues to grapple with the opioid epidemic. Emergency departments in the state saw suspected opioid overdoses more than double between July 2016 and last September, according to recent federal data. While Wisconsin has taken steps to fight the crisis, more work remains. A Wisconsin Health News panel will take a closer look at the challenges facing those seeking treatment and how to boost access.

Panelists include:

• Paul Krupski, Director of Opioid Initiatives, Department of Health Services
  
• Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette
  
• Andrew Whitacre, Senior Associate, Pew Charitable Trusts
  
• Dr. Aleksandra Zgierska, Assistant Professor, UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health 
  

Register here

March 23, 2018 - Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance and Financial Services

The Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund (Fund) Board this week approved a 10 percent decrease in Fund fees for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. This is the sixth decrease approved by the Fund Board in as many years.

Wisconsin’s excellent medical liability environment is good for your organization’s business: money not spent to obtain coverage and settle claims can be allocated to improve quality and the overall patient experience.

Your Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) continues to work vigilantly to preserve Wisconsin’s relatively stable medical liability environment, most recently by filing amicus briefs at both the appellate and Supreme Court level in Mayo v. the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund—a case that has challenged the constitutionality of the state’s cap on noneconomic damages in medical liability cases. We are also maintaining our active involvement in the primary insurance market, working with our exclusive partner, ProAssurance. Additionally, the WMS Holdings Risk Purchasing Group and Captive are designed to help health systems decrease liability costs and improve quality and efficiency.

The Society was influential in obtaining this rate reduction through its participation on the Fund Board. This is a great example of how the Society’s advocacy efforts—which the profits generated by Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance & Financial Services help support—benefit the medical community in Wisconsin.

Don't hesitate to email me or call me at 608.442.3738 if you have any questions about this or for other insurance-related matters. 

Very truly yours, Shawna Bertalot, President

Wisconsin Medical Society Insurance and Financial Services

 Join us for lunch and discussion with Sen. Leah Vukmir, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. The Brookfield Republican will talk about the past session's major health-related initiatives and what's next for healthcare in the state.   

Register here. 

February 19, 2018 

Milwaukee's mental health system is in flux. The county is moving forward with overhauling the way it delivers care, with an emphasis on community supports rather than institutions. It's also working with healthcare providers and others to study how to best provide emergency care for patients. 

Experts will weigh in on the system's transformation at a Wisconsin Health News panel in Milwaukee on Tuesday, March 13. 

Panelists:

Barbara Beckert, Disability Rights Wisconsin Milwaukee Office Director

Mike Lappen, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division Administrator 

Joy Tapper, Milwaukee Health Care Partnership Executive Director

Register Here