As part of WiHPCA’s ongoing effort to boost our legislative advocacy efforts at both the state and federal levels, a group of WiHPCA members recently met with Wisconsin Congressman Glen Grothman (R – WI-6). The meeting provided a great opportunity to have a deep conversation with a key federal policymaker on the tremendous benefits and value of hospice and palliative care – for patients, families, and Wisconsin taxpayers.

WiHPCA members who attended the meeting included Aime Goldman from Agrace Hospice and Rick Rissler and his team from St. Croix Hospice: Daniel Gonzalez, Jennifer Dillman, and Kathleen Metty-Reinhard. They were wonderful ambassadors for Wisconsin’s hospice community and did an excellent job educating Congressman Grothman on a handful of important federal issues, including the VBID hospice carve-in and its impact on hospice providers and patients, and the hospice nursing home pass through and how it creates a financial and administrative burden for hospice providers. In fact, the Congressman said he would be willing to write a letter urging CMS to consider a waiver for Wisconsin on the pass-through issue.

Glenn Grothman is the Congressman for Wisconsin’s Sixth Congressional District. Grothman is currently serving his fifth term in Congress, having first been elected in 2014.