WiHPCA News

De Pere, WI – Unity is proud to announce the award of a $30,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Trust to support and expand specialized pediatric palliative and hospice care services for children and their families in Northeast Wisconsin. This vital funding will also enhance grief support programs tailored to children and teens impacted by a death.

“This generous investment from the Otto Bremer Trust enables us to provide compassionate, family-centered care during the most difficult of life circumstances,” says Alisa Gerke, Executive Director of Unity. “No child should face a serious illness alone, and no family should be left without support during grief. Thanks to this grant, Unity can serve more families with the expertise, tenderness, and commitment they deserve.”

Unity is the only local nonprofit in the region offering specialized pediatric palliative and hospice care across a 14-county service area. Unity’s care model offers concurrent care, allowing young patients to continue life-prolonging treatments while also receiving home-based visits from an interdisciplinary team including nurses, social workers, chaplains, and grief counselors, all specialty-trained in pediatric care. From 24-hour nurse and social worker access, to pain management, emotional support, and spiritual care, Unity meets the needs of the entire family.

Beyond direct medical care, this grant will also support:

• Specialized pediatric training and resources for care teams
• Therapeutic and comfort items for young patients
• Legacy projects such as voice recordings and keepsake kits
• Age-appropriate educational materials for families
• Grief counseling and peer support groups for children and teens
• School-based outreach and professional training for education

Unity’s grief services are delivered throughout the community and at the Unity Grief and Education Center, the region’s only standalone grief center. Licensed staff provide one-on-one counseling, grief groups, school programs, and family support. Knowing grief can deeply affect a child’s development, mental health, and academic performance, Unity’s grief services respond with skilled, age-appropriate care. In the past year, 32 children ages 4–18 received individual counseling at the Unity Grief and Education Center. Our licensed counselors create safe spaces with therapeutic tools and play-based activities, allowing children to process loss in a way that fits their developmental stage.

Unity’s Generations program supports the whole grieving family. Over the past year, 15 families with 22 children participated in sessions that begin with a shared meal and divide into peer-based groups. These gatherings help children and teens feel understood and less alone in their grief, while offering coping tools to both kids and caregivers.

Unity’s school grief program reduces access barriers and supports children in familiar environments. Last year, 185 students participated in grief groups across 12 schools, with an additional 522 students and staff supported through professional trainings, debriefings, and school-wide grief resources.

The Otto Bremer Trust, committed to strengthening communities throughout the region with a focus on children’s health and disability services, aligns closely with Unity’s goal to provide dignified, holistic care. Through the partnership, Unity will ensure more families are compassionately supported throughout a child’s serious illness.

About Unity

Unity is Northeast Wisconsin’s pioneering not-for-profit healthcare provider that offers a full complement of care solutions including nonmedical home care, palliative care, hospice care, and grief support. With a commitment to seamlessly adapt care to the everchanging needs of each patient and family, Unity works tirelessly to enhance quality of life through innovative services and unique programs ensuring the wishes and goals of patients and families are always met. As the only locally owned and operated advanced illness provider in the region, Unity partners with area skilled nursing facilities, assisted-living facilities, and pharmacies, ensuring seamless care in all settings. Unity is the sole organization offering inpatient hospice at seven area hospitals and is a collaboration between Emplify Health by Bellin, HSHS St. Mary's Hospital Medical Center, and HSHS St. Vincent Hospital. Established as the third hospice program in the nation, Unity launched Wisconsin’s first palliative care program in 2002, the area’s first hospice residence in 2007, the region’s only Grief and Education Center in 2021, and the area’s first pediatric hospice program in 2024. Learn more at https://unityhospice.org/.

Call for Nominations: WIHPCA Board of Directors

The Wisconsin Hospice & Palliative Care Association (WIHPCA) is seeking passionate and dedicated individuals to serve on its Board of Directors. This is an exciting opportunity to help shape the future of hospice and palliative care in Wisconsin.

Now Accepting Nominations!

Do you or someone you know have a commitment to advancing quality end-of-life care? We encourage you to nominate yourself or a colleague to join a dynamic team of leaders committed to WIHPCA’s mission of advocacy, education, and support for hospice and palliative care providers across the state.

Board Members Help:

• Guide the strategic direction of WIHPCA

• Strengthen advocacy and policy initiatives

• Promote best practices and professional development

• Expand awareness and support for compassionate care

Eligibility:
Nominees must be affiliated with a WIHPCA member organization and demonstrate leadership, collaboration, and a passion for the field of hospice and palliative care.

How to Nominate:
Submit your nomination form and a brief candidate statement by Aug 29, 2025 here: WiHPCA Call for Board Nominations

We look forward to welcoming new leaders who are ready to make a meaningful impact in our community!

Questions?
Please contact the WiHPCA office at wihpca@badgerbay.co (not com) for more information.

Thank you for your continued commitment to compassionate care in Wisconsin.

—
WIHPCA Nominations Committee

Early on July 1, Governor Tony Evers (D) announced an agreement on the state Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget with legislative leadership. The budget bill compromise between Governor Evers and legislative leaders will boost funds for the Universities of Wisconsin, special education, and childcare providers in exchange for preserving approximately $1.4 billion in Republican tax cuts. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee approved this agreement on July 1 by a vote of 13-3. Subsequently, the state Senate passed the bill on July 2, and the state Assembly passed it in the early morning hours of July 3. Governor Evers also signed the bill on July 3.

The following are highlights of the $111.1 billion FY2025-2027 budget:

State Taxes

•  A reduction of the Wisconsin individual income tax by over $600 million annually.
• Over 1.5 million of Wisconsin taxpayers will receive a tax cut, averaging $180.
• 82 percent of the tax cut will go to taxpayers with adjusted gross income below $200,000.

• Reducing income taxes for many Wisconsin retirees.
• Allowing those age 67 or older to exclude up to $24,000 (up to $48,000 for married-joint filers) of retirement income payments will reduce taxes on approximately 280,000 Wisconsin filers by an average of about $1,000 per filer.

Department of Public Instruction

• A $1.4 billion increase in funding for public K-12 schools in Wisconsin.
• This includes an increase in the special education reimbursement rate, to 42% in FY2025-2026 to 45% in FY2026-2027. According to Governor Evers, this is the highest reimbursement rate in three decades.

Department of Children and Families

• The Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget includes more than $361 million in economic support for Wisconsin’s child care industry, including:
• $110 million in FY2025-2026 for direct payments to child care providers.

Department of Health Services

• Medicaid Cost-to-Continue: The budget agreement also fully funds the state’s Medicaid program – this is known as “Medicaid cost-to-continue.” This funding incorporates enough funding to pay for the increased costs of providing services and also takes into account changing Medicaid enrollment projections.

• In FY2025-2026, $1.529 billion is provided and in FY2026-2027, $2.279 billion is provided.

• Hospital Assessment: At present, Wisconsin hospitals pay 1.8% of their net patient revenue to the state Department of Health Services (DHS) – this is known as the “hospital assessment.” This budget agreement increases this percentage to 6%.
• 30% of these funds will be held in the Medical Assistance Trust Fund, which helps pay for the state’s Medicaid program.
• The rest of this funding will be used to make hospital provider payments, resulting in over $1.1 billion in funding to go to Wisconsin hospitals.

• Home Health Skilled Nursing Medicaid Rate Increase: Provide $294,300 in FY2025-2026 and $588,600 in FY2026-2027 to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for home visits performed by LPNs/RNs employed by home health agencies, effective January 1, 2026.
• Private Duty Nursing Medicaid Rate Increase: Provide $4.7 million in FY2025-2026 and $9.59 million in FY2026-2027 to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for private duty nursing services provided by RNs and LPNs (excluding PDN services provided by independent practice RNs and LPNs), effective January 1, 2026.
• Personal Care Rate Medicaid Rate Increase: Provide $6.3 million in FY2025-2026 and $12.7 million in FY2026-2027.
• WisCaregiver Careers: Provide $2 million in FY2025-2026 to increase funding for this program, which aims to increase the number of certified nurse aides (CNAs) and certified direct care professionals (CDCPs) in the state.
• Free and Charitable Clinics: Increase funding for free and charitable clinics by $1.5 million between FY2025-2027.
• Federally Qualified Health Centers: Provides $800,000 annually to increase grants to such centers.
• ·        Health Care Provider Training Grants: Provide $1 million in FY2025-2026 to increase funding for the allied health professional education training program.
• University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics: Increases the uncompensated care supplement by $10 million annually.
• Adult Level One Trauma Hospitals: Provides $35 million in grants annually to support these hospitals.
• Regional Referral Hospital Support Payment: Provides $15 million annually to a regional referral center providing tertiary-level care to residents of multiple counties.
• Grants to Health Center “Look-Alikes”: Provides $200,000 annually to such health centers that are designated as federally qualified health center look-alikes.
• These types of health centers are community-based health care facilities that meet federal health center program requirements, but do not receive health center program funding. These centers provide primary care in underserved areas.

• State Mental Health Institutes: Provides $15.8 million in FY2025-26 to these institutes to address a projected deficit from fiscal year 2024-25 in the civil patient treatment program.

Higher Education Aids Board

• Emergency Medical Services Training Costs: Provide $3.5 million in FY2026-2027 for Emergency Medical Services training reimbursements related to training and materials incurred in completing a course at a Wisconsin Technical College System institution.

Department of Safety and Professional Services

• Occupational Credentialing Customer Service Call Center Staff: Extend five call center contract employees for three more years – until September 30, 2028. Provide $253,100 in FY2025-26 and $337,300 in FY2026-27 to support the positions.

• Occupational Credentialing Board Support Staff: Provide $126,200 in FY2025-26 and $164,400 in FY2026-27 and one pharmacy practices consultant for inspections of primarily non-retail pharmacy locations.

Universities of Wisconsin (UW)

According to Governor Evers, this budget will include the largest increase in funding for the UW System in nearly two decades. In particular, it includes:

• An increase of over $239 million in operational funding for the UW System, including:
• $54 million to help retain and recruit faculty in high-demand fields.
• Over $94 million to increase wages for faculty and staff.

Department of Workforce Development

• Worker’s Compensation – Hospital Service Fee Schedule: Provide that a fee specified in a hospital service fee schedule, for the purpose of paying a worker’s compensation claim, be utilized only if: (a) the fee is for an item or service provided by an eligible hospital; (b) the fee is for an item or service for which the eligible hospital may receive hospital inpatient or outpatient reimbursement from the Medicaid program; and (c) the fee is paid within the applicable period (up to 90 days, with possible 30 day extensions).

On July 15, DHS released their analysis showing how the recently enacted federal budget reconciliation bill will likely impact Wisconsinites who benefit from Medicaid (e.g., BadgerCare Plus) programs. Overall, DHS agrees with the estimate provided by the Congressional Joint Economic Committee that 276,175 individuals in our state will lose health care insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid over the next 10 years. More specifically, 63,000 Wisconsin adults without dependent children are estimated to be at high risk of losing Medicaid coverage due to the work requirements included in this new federal law.

For more details, please view the detailed analysis on the DHS website.

On June 25, 2025, Marquette University Law School Poll released its most recent poll, which surveyed 873 registered Wisconsin voters between June 13-19, 2025. This poll is the first Wisconsin state-specific Marquette poll since the spring election. This new poll covers political approval ratings, budget issues, and education policy. The following poll findings may be of interest:

Elected Officials

President Trump Job Approval

•  47% approve of the job President Trump (R) is doing.
•   52% disapprove.
•  1% don’t know.

Governor Tony Evers Job Approval

•  48% approve of the job Governor Tony Evers (D) is doing.
•  46% disapprove.
•  5% don’t know.

Wisconsin Legislature Job Approval

• 41% approve of the state legislature’s job performance.
• 50% disapprove.
• 10% don’t know.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Job Approval

•  49% approve of the state supreme court’s job performance.
•  38% disapprove.
• 13% don’t know.

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson Favorability

•  40% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R)
•  44% have an unfavorable opinion of him.

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Favorability

•  44% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D)
•  47% have an unfavorable opinion of her.

Wisconsin State Budget

State Tax Cut

When informed that state government has a roughly $4 billion surplus, registered voters are asked how much of that should go towards a tax cut.

•  27% feel that the entire surplus should be used for a tax cut.
•  9% feel that 75% of the surplus should be used for a tax cut.
•  29% feel that half of it should be used for a tax cut.
•  19% think that approximately 25% of it should be used for a tax cut.
•  16% feel that none of the surplus should be used for a tax cut.
•  1% don’t have a position.

State and Local Policy

Extending Medicaid Coverage to New Mothers One Year After Giving Birth

•    66% support this.
•   33% oppose this.

Childhood Vaccine Benefits and Risks

When asked whether the benefits or the risks are greater for children receiving the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the survey found:

• ·        84% feel that the benefits outweigh the risks.
• ·        15% feel that the risks outweigh the benefits.

State Education

Satisfaction with Public Schools

•  63% are very satisfied or satisfied.
•  36% are very dissatisfied or dissatisfied.
•  1% don’t know or have mixed views.

Property Taxes vs. K-12 Funding

When asked whether reducing property taxes or increasing spending on K-12 spending on public schools is more important, the survey found the following:

•  57% prefer reducing property taxes.
•   43% prefer increasing spending on public schools.

On June 30, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) released a report addressing Wisconsinites who receive both Medicaid and Medicare benefits – otherwise known as “dual eligibles.” This nine-page report includes various findings and recommendations. The full report may be viewed on the DHS website.

Each July, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) is required by state law to adjust the maximum amounts that health care clinicians may charge patients for their medical records. This adjustment takes into account inflationary changes over the prior calendar year. This updated fee schedule may be viewed on the state legislature’s website.

Following the overwhelming Assembly passage (96-1) of legislation creating a state palliative care council (Assembly Bill 23) on May 13, WiHPCA’s lobbyists continue to aggressively lobby the Legislature to move this bill through the legislative process.

As this legislation has passed the full Assembly, the lobbying focus is now on the state Senate – including meeting with various senators, as well as their staff members. There is also an effort to draft a coalition letter to all state Senators in support of this legislation, which will include various supportive stakeholders, including many in the health care field. Once the state budget process is completed later this summer, we intend to ask WiHPCA members to call and visit the offices of state senators to request their support for this legislation.

Further updates on this legislation will be included in future editions of this newsletter.

The Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance has been holding meetings in May and June to approve state Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budgets for various state government agencies. Once the committee has done its work, their work will be consolidated into FY2025-2027 budget legislation, which the full Assembly and Senate will vote on. As the current fiscal year ends on June 30, the Legislature generally attempts to send a budget bill to the Governor for his consideration by the end of June. However, if there are delays with the legislative process or the Governor vetoes the budget legislation in full, state government will continue to operate on existing funding levels until the Governor signs a FY2025-2027 budget bill into law.

In late April, the Department of Health Services (DHS) issued a press release that analyzed the impact of potential federal Medicaid budget cuts on Wisconsin. This analysis is based on federal budget reconciliation legislation that the U.S. House of Representatives approved on May 22.  The following elements of this legislation, which has not yet been approved by the U.S. Senate (as this is written), will likely be of interest to WiAHC:

·        Per-Person Funding Limit– Currently, the federal government provides funding to states based on a percentage of Medicaid costs. This legislation proposes to instead provide a set amount of funding per Medicaid beneficiary. This could cost the State of Wisconsin up to $16.8 billion in federal funds over a decade.

·        Administrative Costs – This funding pays for information technology and for staff to review Medicaid claims and pay health care providers, among other things. This could cost the State of Wisconsin up to $93 million each year.

·        Work Requirement – Such a requirement would likely require able-bodied adults without children to provide proof that they are working in order to receive Medicaid benefits. DHS estimates that the agency would incur up to $6 million in administrative costs to comply with such a requirement. Any employment and training requirements that DHS may need to provide to help Medicaid beneficiaries meet these requirements could cost $60 million annually.