WiHPCA News

On October 18, WiHPCA Legislative Committee member Rick Risler, who serves as the executive director of St. Croix Hospice, presented a “Champion of Hospice and Palliative Care” award for the 2023-2024 legislative session to state Senator Jesse James (R-Eau Claire Area) in the St. Croix Hospice office in Eau Claire.

Earlier this year, WiHPCA also presented “Champions of Hospice and Palliative Care” awards for the 2023-2024 legislative session to Representative Patrick Snyder (R-Wausau Area) and Senator Kelda Roys (D-Madison).  WiHPCA is honoring these legislators for their exceptional work to address the priorities of hospice and palliative care agencies and staff throughout the state. 

On October 2, 2024, Marquette Law School released a new statewide election poll, which was conducted between September 18-26.  The following poll findings may be of interest.

Presidential Race

The following are the results for polling of registered Wisconsin voters: 

• Kamala Harris (D):  52%
• Donald Trump (R):  48%

When factoring in various Presidential candidates from other political parties, the results are as follows for registered Wisconsin voters:

• Kamala Harris (Democrat):  48%
• Donald Trump (Republican):  44%
• Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Independent):  3%  [Note: Kennedy has suspended his campaign but will remain on the ballot, according to a ruling by the Wisconsin Supreme Court.]
• Chase Oliver (Libertarian Party):  1%
• Jill Stein (Green Party):  1%
• Randall Terry (Constitution Party): Less than 1% 
• Claudia De la Cruz (Party for Socialism and Liberation):  0%
• Cornel West (Independent): 0%

U.S. Senate Race

The following are the results for registered Wisconsin voters: 

• Tammy Baldwin (D):  53%
• Eric Hovde (R):  46%

Governor Tony Evers’ Job Performance

This poll asked registered voters if they approve or disapprove of the way that Democrat Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor.  This poll found the following:

• Approve:  48%
• Disapprove:  46%
• Don’t know:  5%

Direction of the State and Economic Conditions

Direction of the State

This poll asked registered voters whether things in Wisconsin are generally going in the right direction, or if things have gotten off on the wrong track.  This poll found the following:

• Right Direction:  44%
• Wrong Track:  56%

Views of the National Economy

This poll asked registered voters how they would describe the national economy.  This poll found the following: 

• Excellent:  5%
• Good:  32%
• Not so good: 30%
• Poor:  33%

Polling on Various Issues – By Political Party

Republican Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Republican voters:

• Economy:  53%
• Immigration and border security:  31%
• Medicare & Social Security:  5%
• Abortion policy:  3%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  3%
• Foreign relations:  2%
• Health care:  1%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  1%
• Don’t know:  1%

Democratic Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Democratic voters:

• Abortion policy:  31%
• Economy:  19%
• Medicare & Social Security:  13%
• Health care:  13%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  11%
• Foreign relations:  5%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  2%
• Immigration and border security:  1%
• Don’t know:  5%

On October 15, Governor Tony Evers announced that the state government ended Fiscal Year 2024 with a positive balance of $4.6 billion.  This amount is $821.3 million higher than projected.  This balance will be used when the Legislature crafts the state’s Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget next year. 

Also, the state’s budget stabilization fund or “rainy day fund,” which is intended to be used to balance the state budget in a time of reduced tax revenue, is $1.9 billion.  This fund balance is the highest in the state’s history. 

Forward Analytics, a division of the Wisconsin Counties Association, released a report on September 29 entitled, “On the Brink: Probing the Coming Senior Care Challenges.”  According to their website, “Forward Analytics is a Wisconsin-based research organization that provides state and local policymakers with nonpartisan analysis of issues affecting the state.” 

With the expected significant growth of the senior citizen population in Wisconsin, the report finds that nearly 60,000 additional beds in nursing homes and assisted living facilities may be needed by 2040.  In addition, the report notes that nearly 10,000 nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), and home health/personal care aides will be needed in these types of facilities by 2030.  The full report may be found on the Forward Analytics website. 

Recently, Wisconsin DHS announced that the UpliftWI phone line is now available to receive calls daily – including holidays – from 10:00AM to 10:00PM.  It was previously available daily – including holidays – from 12:00PM to 12:00AM.

If you are not familiar with the UpliftWI phone line, DHS describes it as “…a nonemergency source of support for people experiencing increased stress or symptoms from mental health and substance use concerns.” 

This phone line does not charge a fee to callers and operates as a confidential service.  The UpliftWI line may be reached at 534-202-5438.  For more information on this service, please visit Mental Health America of Wisconsin’s UpliftWI website. 

WiHPCA is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest legislative and regulatory articles and information on the hospice industry from Hospice News and other publications:

·       The Hospice CARE Act’s Potential to ‘Dramatically Reshape’ End-of-Life Care Delivery

Hospice News – By Holly Vossel| Oct. 15, 2024

Hospice providers and stakeholders are carefully examining the proposed changes included in the recently introduced Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act as the bill begins its journey through the legislative process. Leading concerns in the industry include the bill’s suggested regulatory reforms to address program integrity in the hospice industry, along with potential changes to reimbursement, caregiver support and palliative care payment pathways. Read more...

·       Hospice Fraud Casts Lengthening Shadow Over Future of Industry

Hospice News – By Holly Vossel| Oct. 11, 2024

Fraudulent operators in the hospice space have misspent millions of Medicare dollars in recent years. This problem has become so severe that it has become one of the defining issues facing the hospice industry, with providers and other industry stakeholders expressing concern about significant impacts to future payment, access, sustainability and utilization. This is the first of a two-part Hospice News series that examines the financial and operational pressures weighing on the minds of hospice providers amid instances of fraud, waste and abuse occurring in the industry. Read more...

·       2 Charged in $54 Million Hospice, Health Care Fraud Case

Hospice News – By Jim Parker| Oct. 10, 2024

Two individuals in California have been arrested for their roles in a $54 million scheme to defraud Medicare for hospice and diagnostic testing. One of the alleged perpetrators, Sophia Shaklian, has been charged with 16 counts of health care fraud and four for transactional money laundering. A second, Alex Alexsanian, is charged with one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering. Read more...

·       Court Rules False Claims Act Provisions Unconstitutional, with Implications for Hospice Cases

Hospice News – By Jim Parker| Oct. 7, 2024

A federal judge has struck down the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, with broad implications for hospice and other health care enforcement actions. The ruling centers on the law’s qui tam clauses, which the court found unconstitutional. In a qui tam action, a whistleblower, called a “relator” by the courts, files a False Claims Act suit on behalf of the government and possibly receives a portion of any funds recovered by the government via the lawsuit, typically ranging from 15% to 25%. Read more...

Hospice News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the hospice industry.

Earlier this year, WiHPCA announced that three state legislators were selected as “Champions of Hospice and Palliative Care” for the 2023-2024 legislative session:  Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Wausau Area), Sen. Kelda Roys (D-Madison), and Sen. Jesse James (R-Eau Claire Area).  WiHPCA is honoring these legislators for their exceptional work to address the priorities of hospice and palliative care agencies and staff throughout the state. 

In August, WiHPCA had the opportunity to personally present the “Champions of Hospice and Palliative Care” awards to Rep. Snyder and Sen. Roys. WiHPCA anticipates that this award will be presented to Sen. James in the coming weeks.

    

On September 11, 2024, Marquette Law School released a new statewide election poll, which was conducted between August 28 – September 5.  The following poll findings may be of interest.

Presidential Race

The following are the results for polling of likely Wisconsin voters: 

• Kamala Harris (D):  52%
• Donald Trump (R):  48%

U.S. Senate Race

The following are the results for likely Wisconsin voters: 

• Tammy Baldwin (D):  52%
• Eric Hovde (R):  47%

Governor Tony Evers’ Job Performance

This poll asked registered voters if they approve or disapprove of the way that Democrat Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor.  This poll found the following:

• Approve:  51%
• Disapprove:  44%
• Don’t know:  5%

Direction of the State and Economic Conditions

Direction of the State

This poll asked registered voters whether things in Wisconsin are generally going in the right direction, or if things have gotten off on the wrong track.  This poll found the following:

• Right Direction:  46%
• Wrong Track:  53%

Views of the National Economy

This poll asked registered voters how they would describe the national economy.  This poll found the following: 

• Excellent:  3%
• Good:  32%
• Not so good: 35%
• Poor:  30%

Polling on Various Issues – By Political Party

Republican Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Republican voters:

• Economy:  55%
• Immigration and border security:  23%
• Abortion policy:  6%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  5%
• Foreign relations:  3%
• Medicare & Social Security:  2%
• Health care:  2%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  1%
• Don’t know:  1%

Democratic Voters

This poll also asked Wisconsin registered voters which issue (out of the following eight issues) is the most important.  This poll found that the following issues are the most important to Democratic voters:

• Abortion policy:  27%
• Economy:  26%
• Medicare & Social Security:  16%
• Ensuring fair and accurate elections:  13%
• Health care:  9%
• The war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza:  3%
• Foreign relations:  2%
• Immigration and border security:  0%
• Don’t know:  4%

State Assembly

Assembly District 21 – Southeast Milwaukee County

• Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) vs. David Marstellar (D-Milwaukee)
• This is a 53% Democratic district.

Assembly District 26 – Sheboygan Area

• Rep. Amy Binsfeld (R-Sheboygan) vs. Joe Sheehan (D-Sheboygan)
• This is a 52% Democratic district.

Assembly District 30 – Twin Cities Suburbs (River Falls, Hudson)

• Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) vs. Alison Page (D-River Falls)
• This is a 51% Republican district.

Assembly District 51 – Southwestern Wisconsin

• Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) vs. Elizabeth Grabe (D-Mount Horeb)
• This is a 54% Democratic district.

Assembly District 61 – Southwest Milwaukee County

• Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) vs. LuAnn Bird (D-Hales Corners)
• This is a 51% Democratic district.

Assembly District 85 – Wausau Area

• Rep. Patrick Snyder (R-Schofield) vs. Yee Xiong (D-Weston)
• This is a 51% Republican district.

Assembly District 88 – Eastern Green Bay Suburbs

• Ben Franklin (R-De Pere) vs. Christy Welch (D-De Pere)
• This is a 50.5% Republican district.

Assembly District 89 – Green Bay and Western Suburbs

• Patrick Buckley (R-Green Bay) vs. Ryan Spaude (D-Green Bay)
• This is a 51% Democratic district.

Assembly District 92 – Northwest Wisconsin, including Chippewa Falls

• Rep. Clint Moses (R-Menomonie) vs. Joe Plouff (D-Menomonie)
• This is a 52% Republican district.

Assembly District 94 – La Crosse Area

• Ryan Huebsch (R-Onalaska) vs. Rep. Steve Doyle (D-Onalaska)
• This is a 50% Democratic/50% Republican District

State Senate

Senate District 8 – Northern Milwaukee Suburbs

• Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) vs. Jodi Habush Sinykin (D-Whitefish Bay)
• This is a 51% Republican district.

Senate District 14 – Southcentral Wisconsin, mostly north of Madison

• Sen. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan) vs. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi)
• This is a 52% Democratic district.

Senate District 18 – Fox Valley (Oshkosh, Appleton)

• Dr. Anthony Phillips (R-Appleton) vs. Kristin Alfheim (D-Appleton)
• This is a 54% Democratic District

Senate District 30 – Green Bay and Suburbs

• Jim Rafter (R-Allouez) vs. Jamie Wall (D-Green Bay)
• This is a 52% Democratic district.

Senate District 32 – La Crosse Area

• Stacey Klein (R-Trempealeau) vs. Sen. Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska)
• This is a 53% Democratic District

WiHPCA is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest legislative and regulatory articles and information on the hospice industry from Hospice News and other publications:

·       CMS Issues Guidance for Hospices on HOPE Tool Implementation

Hospice News – By Jim Parker| Sept. 17, 2024

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final guidance manual for implementing the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool. The tool is slated for an October 2025 implementation, according to the agency’s 2025 final hospice rule. The tool will replace the Hospice Item Set (HIS) quality reporting system. Read more...

·       CMS to Expand ‘Enhanced Oversight’ to Combat Hospice Fraud in 4 States

Hospice News – By Jim Parker| Sept. 10, 2024

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding its enhanced oversight for new hospices in fraud-ridden states, including California, Nevada, Arizona and Texas. The agency in July 2023 first announced a “provisional period of enhanced oversight” for new hospices in those states. A key component of the enhanced oversight includes a medical review of claims before a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) will pay them. Read more...