Healthy Wisconsin

The Wisconsin Health Care Consumer Assistance Program was announced by Governor Jim Doyle in October 2010 as a means of offsetting the expenses paid by patients across the State of Wisconsin towards pricy medical bills. Money will be funded by the federal government, thanks to a nearly 640,000 grant from the United States Department of Health Services. The primary goals of the program are to not only help patients pay their bills but promote a more cohesive health care system through a spread of information, including answering any questions or concerns, assisting if filing and understanding complaints, not to mention helping to get qualified individuals enrolled in an appropriate health care plan.Health Care reform has been a hot button issue nationwide in recent years, but reform has been underway even if slower than many outspoken individuals may have hoped. The Wisconsin Health Care Consumer Assistance Plan is part of a larger cross-country effort to increase the efficiency and benefits to citizens in each state. Among the improvements U.S. residents have already seen include:

• No annual or lifetime limits on essential benefits
• Coverage of emergency services now requires no prior authorization
• Tax cuts for parents who keep young children on their health plan
• No co-pays or deductible payments required for preventative care
• Tax credits for small benefits offering affordable health care plans to employees
• Job seekers under the age of 26 can stay on their parents’ healthcare plan during their job search
• Stricter requirements to drop individuals from their health care plan
• Additional funding to train qualified doctors and nurses at hospitals and universities
• Children with pre-existing conditions must be accepted under their parent’s healthcare plan

From an administrative standpoint, the information attained through initiatives funded by the grant will help to quantify the needs of the state and prioritize health care objectives in the future. Without a composite picture of what the state of Wisconsin looks like from a health care perspective it can be tough to address the proper problems with the system and make necessary changes. On the state level Wisconsin has been very ambitious in improving the state health care system. Hopefully data tracking and increased feedback will help to bring light on the statewide endeavors that all Wisconsinians should be feeling the positive effects of. The state has received national attention for high marks in independent health care studies in the past, the Wisconsin health Care Consumer Assistance Program should only enhance the quality health care the state can offer.