WiHPCA News

Today, the Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WiHPCA) announced that State Senator Kelda Roys (D-Madison) is a “Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care” for the 2023-2024 state legislative session.  This designation highlights legislators who have shown exceptional support to address the priorities of hospice and palliative care agencies and staff throughout Wisconsin. 

Senator Roys showed strong support for Senate Bill 703, a bill to establish a state Palliative Care Council, during a Senate committee hearing earlier this year, including refuting misinformation stated by representatives of other organizations who spoke at the hearing.  This legislation would increase awareness of palliative care throughout the state and help Wisconsinites receive needed medical care for their symptoms, which would improve the quality of life for patients and their families. 

“Our organization is grateful to Senator Roys for her strong support of this legislation during a Senate committee hearing earlier this year and, as such, has designated her as a Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care,” said Lynne Sexten, Chair of the WiHPCA Board of Directors.

Wisconsin held its partisan primaries yesterday (August 13) for state legislative and congressional races for the fall general election. Despite a significant number of primaries (primaries were held in roughly half of the 99 Assembly seats and 4 of the 16 Senate seats), there were very few surprises, with the only incumbents that lost their reelection bids were those who were paired against other incumbents due to redistricting.  There was also a statewide referendum on two proposed constitutional amendments. Please find below key election result highlights:

CONGRESSIONAL RACES OF NOTE:

• In the 8th Congressional District GOP primary, Trump-endorsed Tony Wied edged out state Senator Andre Jacque and former state Senator Roger Roth in this closely watched race. Wied will face Democrat Kristin Lyerly in November for the opportunity to fill the open seat vacated earlier this year by Congressman Mike Gallagher (R). Jacque will return to the State Senate, as his seat is not up in November.
• In the 3rd Congressional District, former WEDC Board member Rebecca Cooke beat state Rep. Katrina Shankland in the Democratic primary. She will face Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R) in the November general election. The 3^rdCD is considered a swing seat, and Democrats have targeted it in their attempt to win back the House this fall.

OVERVIEW OF STATE LEGISLATIVE RACES:

• Assembly Speaker Robin Vos easily won his primary challenge, which took place after two failed recall attempts against him earlier this year.
• Freshman Republican State Rep. Nate Gustafson defeated Rep. Mike Schraa in the 55^thAssembly District.  Schraa has served in the State Assembly for 12 years.
• Republican State Rep. John Spiros won his three-way primary for the 86^thAD, which also included two-term incumbent State Representative Donna Rozar.
• Freshman Republican State Rep. Elijah Behnke defeated freshman Rep. Peter Schmidt after moving into the 5^thAD to challenge him.
• Dave Armstrong defeated Jimmy Swenson in the GOP primary for the 67th Assembly District, capturing nearly 78% of the vote.
• Republican State Senator Dan Knodl defeated State Representative Janel Brandtjen in the Republican primary for the 24^thAssembly District.  Sitting senators don’t typically run for the State Assembly. However, Knodl was redistricted into another Senator’s seat and decided to return to the State Assembly rather than run for the Senate.  He served 15 years in the State Assembly prior to serving the last year in the State Senate.
• Dan Feyen (R-Fond du Lac) easily defeated Tim Ramthun in the GOP primary for the 20th Senate District, capturing nearly 65% of the vote.
• Democrat State Representative Melissa Ratcliffe won a three-way primary for the 16^thSenate District, defeating fellow State Representatives Jimmy Anderson and Samba Baldeh.  Both Anderson and Baldeh had to forgo running for their Assembly seat to run for Senate, so neither will be returning to the State Assembly in January.

PRPOSED CONSTITITIONAL AMENDMENTS:

• Wisconsin voters rejected both constitutional amendment questions on the ballot, which aimed to give the Legislature more control over spending federal funds.

CLICK HERE to review all election results.

On August 6, WiHPCA unveiled a list of state legislators selected as “Champions of Hospice and Palliative Care” and “Friends of Hospice and Palliative Care” for the 2023-2024 state legislative session.  At the completion of each two-year legislative session, WiHPCA identifies an exclusive group of lawmakers for their exceptional work to address the priorities of hospice and palliative care agencies and staff throughout Wisconsin. 

The 2023-2024 “Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care” recipients are:

--State Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield)                              

--State Sen. Jesse James (R-Altoona)

--State Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison)

The 2023-2024 “Friend of Hospice and Palliative Care” recipients are:

--State Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R-Appleton)             

--State Rep. Jerry O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac)

--State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)                                

--State Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake)

--State Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit)                                   

--State Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon)

--State Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie)                               -

-State Rep. Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz)

--State Rep. Lisa Subeck (D-Madison)                                    

--State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milwaukee)

--State Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville)                                     

--State Rep. Christine Sinicki (D-Milwaukee)

--State Rep. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger)                                   

--State Rep. David Steffen (R-Green Bay)

--State Rep. Donna Rozar (R-Marshfield)                              

--State Rep. Sue Conley (D-Janesville)

--State Rep. Barbara Dittrich (R-Oconomowoc)                  

--State Rep. Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire)

On August 15, the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce held its final public meeting, during which it approved the following recommendations. These recommendations will be submitted to the Governor for potential inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget request that he will submit to the Legislature in early 2025.

• Education and Training

• Recruitment and Retention

• Regulatory Policy

Today, the Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WiHPCA) announced that State Representative Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield) is a “Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care” for the 2023-2024 state legislative session.  This designation highlights legislators who have shown exceptional support to address the priorities of hospice and palliative care agencies and staff throughout Wisconsin. 

Representative Snyder authored Assembly Bill 736 and was the lead co-sponsor of Senate Bill 703, both of which would establish a state Palliative Care Council.  This legislation would increase awareness of palliative care throughout the state and help Wisconsinites receive needed medical care for their symptoms, which would improve the quality of life for patients and their families. 

“Representative Snyder has been a strong advocate for the creation of a state Palliative Care Council for a number of years,” said Lynne Sexten, Chair of the WiHPCA Board of Directors.  “Our organization is grateful for his support and partnership on this important issue and, as such, has designated him as a Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care,” concluded Sexten. 

Wisconsin Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) recently visited the Unity Hospice Jack and Engrid Meng Hospice Residence in De Pere, WI, to meet with staff, tour the facility and discuss the important role of hospice and palliative care in the community. Jacque’s’ visit was part of a larger effort by the Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WiHPCA) to connect hospice professionals with their local state legislators to discuss the benefits of hospice and palliative care services.

“I am grateful to Sen. Jacque for visiting Unity and touring the Meng Hospice Residence to gain deeper insights into the state of the healthcare landscape in Northeast Wisconsin,” said Alisa Gerke, Unity Hospice Executive Director. “It is crucial for legislators to understand the evolving health care needs of our communities, especially for vulnerable patients and families, as well as the regulatory burdens faced by nonprofit hospices. We welcome Sen. Jacque’s interest in ensuring nonprofit hospices remain a sustainable care option for all.”

During his visit to Unity Hospice, Sen. Jacque was able to learn more about the value of hospice and palliative care for local patients and their families. He was also able to discuss with Unity staff the regulatory challenges faced by hospices across the state and the need for forward thinking policies to improve the quality of life for Wisconsin patients facing life-ending or life-limiting illness.

“I greatly appreciated the invitation to visit Unity's main campus and the dialogue I had with staff about the challenges they face in providing compassionate care in a loving environment,” said Sen. Jacque.

Jacque, who was first elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving four terms in the state Assembly, currently represents the 1^st Senate District in northwest Wisconsin, which includes Door and Kewaunee Counties and portions of Manitowoc, Calumet and Brown Counties, including the City of De Pere.

Unity Hospice is a nonprofit partnership of Bellin Health, HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Center, and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital. They are committed to providing holistic, highly specialized care and support for terminally ill patients and their families in northeastern Wisconsin. 

On June 6, the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce held a public meeting on the campus of Marquette University’s School of Dentistry.  The bulk of the livestreamed portion of the meeting was taken up by a panel discussion on education and training.  The following individuals participated in this discussion:

• Christina Patrin, Health Science Education Consultant, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
• Danielle Cook, Education Director, Health Sciences, Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS)
• • Note:  She is a task force member.
• Dr. Melissa Weege, Clinical Associate Professor, Radiation Therapy Program Director, UW-La Crosse
• Rebecca Larson, Executive Vice President for External Relations, Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities

These panelists each gave some background information on their respective organizations, then discussed challenges, and possible solutions.  Patrin noted that while 60 percent of school districts in the state have a direct patient care training pathway (program) embedded in their schools, she noted that it is difficult to start such pathways at high schools.  Cook, Weege and Larson noted a number of similar challenges, including lack of classroom space, challenges in hiring faculty due to relatively low compensation levels, and continuing financial challenges for students. 

Next, the panelists proposed various solutions, including the following:

• Loan forgiveness for all health faculty, not just nursing faculty.
• Need incentives to help hire part-time health faculty.
• Need to do more to promote health care careers early on, even in elementary school.

The task force then moved on to the various breakout discussion groups and then adjournment, neither of which were covered in the livestream of this task force meeting. 

It is also worth noting that in preparation for the June meeting, a document listing draft task force recommendations was prepared.  The following is a high-level summary of these draft recommendations:

• Education and Training

• Recruitment and Retention

• Regulatory Policy

Help shape WiHPCA’s Policy Agenda for the 2025-26 legislative session. The WiHPCA Legislative Priorities Survey provides a tremendous opportunity to offer your input on what policy issues are most important to you and your organization. The purpose of surveying the full WiHPCA membership is to help association leadership develop a policy agenda and determine what legislative and regulatory issues we should on focus during the 2025-2026 Wisconsin legislative session.

The survey takes only a few minutes to complete and will provide invaluable information used to help shape WiHPCA’s advocacy priorities moving forward. The survey results will be presented to the WiHPCA’s Legislative Committee and Board for further consideration. In addition to the member survey data, WiHPCA leadership will consider the following criteria when finalizing the association’s policy agenda and issue priorities: 1.) The benefit to WiHPCA members; 3.) The extent to which it will improve hospice and palliative care in Wisconsin; and 3.) The likelihood of legislative/regulatory success.

Once the WiHPCA Board finalizes the policy agenda and legislative priorities for 2025-2026, it will be presented to the full membership and used by the WiHPCA Government Affairs team to guide the association’s advocacy efforts over the next two years.

We value your input and encourage you to complete and submit the brief survey as soon as possible. Please CLICK HERE to take the survey.

After the state legislative session concludes in even-numbered years, the Legislative Council – the legislature's in-house, non-partisan group of attorney advisors – organizes study committees that perform in-depth reviews of various state policy matters facing Wisconsin.  Committees are comprised of both legislators and citizen members. 

Study committees hold hearings, during which they hear public testimony – including from subject-matter experts – on state policies that may need to be fixed or updated.  Once a committee has completed receiving public testimony, it generally drafts legislation for possible introduction and consideration by the legislature.  Recently, the scope of the Study Committee on the Regulation of Artificial Intelligence in Wisconsin was announced: 

“The Study Committee is directed to review current uses of artificial intelligence technology and make recommendations for legislation regarding the use and development of artificial intelligence technology. The committee may review the use of artificial intelligence in disinformation and artificial imagery and the feasibility of establishing a process to ensure continued state monitoring of high-risk use of artificial intelligence.”

State Senator Julian Bradley (R-Mukwonago), who will serve as chair, recently announced via press release the members of the committee.  Rep. David Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) will serve as vice chair.  Sen. Tim Carpenter (D-Milwaukee) and Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit) are the other legislator members.  Of the eight Wisconsin citizen members, there is one representative from the health care field – Jay Hill, who serves as vice president of advanced technologies for GE HealthCare.  The full committee membership list may be viewed on the Legislature’s website.

In his press release, Sen. Bradley also notes that this study committee “…will travel throughout the state to consider how the new technology will impact workforce, healthcare, law enforcement, government, and consumer protection.” 

The committee’s first meeting was held at the Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee on Wednesday, July 24. 

Each year on July 1, DHS is required by state law to adjust the maximum fees (factoring in the change in the consumer price index) that health care clinicians may charge for patient medical records.  The updated fee schedule may be viewed on the Legislature’s website.