WiHPCA News

August Grant Deadline for Most Opportunities

On June 16, DHS opened the application period for three Rural Health Transformation Program grants, which will address efforts related to (1) care coordination, (2) community health workers, and (3) rural dental efficiency and access. The agency noted that it will award a combined $40 million in grants for these three areas of focus.

The following summaries of these three areas are from the agency’s announcement:

• Care coordination – applications due August 21, 2026: These grants support new and innovative partnership models that coordinate care across systems and sectors in rural Wisconsin. These grants will address fragmented systems of care and barriers to access care. DHS plans to award up to $10 million in 2026 for a 6-month planning period. Awardees will then be invited to submit a full application for a 4-year program period. The full grant opportunity will be released to planning grant recipients in February 2027, with an estimated $25 million available in the first year pending CMS approval.

• Community health worker – applications due August 7, 2026: These grants support expanded integration and sustainability of community health workers as an evidence-based care model to improve health outcomes in Wisconsin’s rural communities. These grants will increase the quality and number of community health workers in the workforce in rural areas, enhance programs through training and technical assistance, and support strong infrastructure and connections between providers and communities. DHS plans to award $20 million for the first year of funding. Letters of intent are recommended but not required. Letters of intent are due July 1, 2026.

• Rural dental efficiency and access – applications due July 27, 2026: These grants support dental clinics in adopting technologies that improve efficiency and increase access to care in rural and semi-rural communities. These technologies can help to address challenges that rural clinics face by increasing patient service volumes, improving patient comfort, and maximizing the existing dental workforce. DHS plans to award $10 million through this grant opportunity pending CMS approval.”

More information may be found on the Rural Health Transformation Program page of the DHS website.

In May, state legislative leaders approved the creation of several Legislative Council Study Committees, including a committee focused on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. The Legislature creates study committees in each even-numbered year, once the legislative session has concluded. Each committee includes several legislators, one of whom serves as the chair, and also includes members of the general public. These committees generally hold several public hearings in Madison during which subject matter experts and members of the general public testify. The mission of these committees is to examine a particular issue and then work on drafting appropriate legislation to update and improve existing state laws on the topic.

The scope of the Study Committee on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care is as follows:

• The study committee is directed to study current and emerging uses of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in health care. As part of its review, the study committee shall consider the use of AI technology in the patient-provider relationship, including use in clinical care and communication facilitation.
• The study committee shall also consider the use of AI in interactions between insurers or medical assistance [Medicaid]programs and patients. Finally, the study committee shall consider the use of AI between insurers or medical assistance programs and providers, including in health care coverage decision making. After these reviews, the study committee shall consider recommending legislation that addresses standards for the use of AI in health care services and insurance.

This committee will likely hold its first meeting in the coming months in Madison and Hoven Consulting will monitor committee activities.

In late May, Wisconsin DHS released its 2025 State Health Assessment. DHS releases this document every five years, which addresses general health and well-being around our state. The report found the following areas of concern:

• Economic stress, including the rising cost of living.
• Mental health, including feelings of burnout and poor access to care.
• Housing, including a lack of affordable housing.
• Transportation, including inadequate public transportation; transportation challenges in rural areas; and need for transportation options to work, health care appointments, and other necessary places.
• Health care, including high costs; poor access to care; and lack of whole-person, prevention-focused care.”

For more information about the Wisconsin State Health Plan, please visit the DHS website.  The full 2025 State Health Assessment may be viewed here.

DHS and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee are organizing the Wisconsin Substance Use Summit, which will be held at the Oneida Hotel in Green Bay on August 5-6, 2026. The summit will feature two keynote speakers, as well as nearly 50 interactive workshops. Interested individuals may attend either in-person or virtually. Registration for in-person attendees closes on July 22, while registration for virtual attendees closes on August 5. For more information – and to register – please visit the DHS website.

The state Assembly held its final session day of the 2025-2026 regular legislative session on February 20, 2026, followed by the Wisconsin State Senate’s final session day on March 17, 2026. In addition, the Legislature reconvened for a special session on May 13, which is addressed above.

The following are highlights from the current biennial budget law, as well as other relevant legislation introduced during the 2025-2026 legislative session.

Fiscal Year 2025-2027 Biennial Budget Law

• 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.
• o   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%.
• o   30% of these funds will be held in the Medical Assistance Trust Fund, which helps pay for the state’s Medicaid program.
• o   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.
• o   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.

2025-2026 Lobbying Registrations - Highlights

• Support – Assembly Bill 23/Senate Bill 39:  Creates a state Palliative Care Council, which would be “housed” at the state Department of Health Services (DHS).  The intent behind this proposed council would be to increase awareness of palliative care, which is often misunderstood by the public. Despite extensive and vigorous WiHPCA advocacy efforts, the Assembly-passed bill (AB23) failed to pass the Republican-controlled state Senate prior to the end of the 2025-2026 legislative session. However, thanks to the advocacy of WiHPCA members, this legislation advanced farther than it has during any prior legislative session. Specifically, the Assembly voted 96-1 to approve the bill and the Senate Health Committee voted 5-0 to advance the bill to the full Senate.

• Support – Senate Bill 43 – Signed by Governor: Allows advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient’s death for purposes of the preparation of death records. This legislation passed the Assembly and Senate unanimously and Governor Evers signed it on August 8, 2025.

• Support – Senate Bill 410 – Committee Hearing Held: Provides a grant to the Wisconsin Institute of Healthy Aging for the purpose of statewide falls prevention awareness and initiatives. The Senate Health Committee held a hearing on the bill on October 22, 2025, but no further action was taken for the remainder of the 2025-2026 session.

• Support – Assembly Bill 598 – Signed by Governor: This bill allows a patient’s representative to consent to an incapacitated individual’s admission directly from a hospital to a nursing home or a community-based residential facility, without requiring a petition for guardianship or protective placement. This legislation passed the Assembly by a vote of 77-18 and the Senate approved it by a vote of 28-5. Governor Evers signed it on March 20, 2026.

Major Political and Budget Dates

• April 15, 2026:Candidates for state office may begin seeking constituent signatures on their nomination papers to appear on the election ballot.
• May 22, 2026:Incumbent elected officials who will not run for re-election in 2026 submit a notice of non-candidacy to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
• June 1, 2026:Candidates for state office submit their nomination papers to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.
• August 11, 2026:Partisan primary election
• September 15, 2026:State executive branch agencies submit FY2027-2029 budget requests to the Governor.
• November 3, 2026:General election.
• January 7, 2027:Inauguration and beginning of the 2027-2028 legislative session.

On May 11, Governor Tony Evers (D) announced that he had come to an agreement with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) on legislation to increase K-12 education funding and provide tax relief in response to the state’s $2.5 billion budget surplus. As originally introduced, the bill included the following provisions:

• $600 million for K-12 schools statewide, half of which is for special education and the other half is for general school funding – known as “general school aids” – which was intended to help reduce property taxes.
• $50 million in aid for the Wisconsin Technical College System, which was intended to reduce property taxes by the same amount.
• Eliminate the individual income tax on cash tips, which would have started in tax year 2026.
• Eliminate the individual income tax on overtime income, which would have started in tax year 2026.
• Individual income tax rebates for taxpayers who filed in tax year 2024 – individuals would have received $300, while married couples who filed jointly would have received $600.

The Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted to advance this bill on May 12. On May 13, the Assembly amended the bill to include provisions expanding a property tax credit for veterans and their surviving spouses and creating a disaster assistance grant program in response to severe flooding and storms that have taken place in Wisconsin since August 2025. Subsequently, the Assembly passed this amended bill with a bipartisan 61-32 vote. However, the Senate then voted 15-18 to reject this amended bill.

[NOTE: The list of elected officials below is an exhaustive list (as this is written) of state legislators who are not running for re-election in their current respective positions in 2026. The inclusion of any particular elected official below does not in any way reflect the views of WiHPCA, Hoven Consulting, Badger Bay Management Company or its employees or representatives.]

During the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, Republicans control both chambers of the Wisconsin State Legislature. In the State Assembly, there are 54 Republicans and 45 Democrats. In the State Senate, there are 18 Republicans and 15 Democrats. Due to redistricting that occurred in 2024 and the national political climate, the 2026 general election is expected to be quite competitive – likely the most competitive election in Wisconsin since 2010. In this year’s general election, Democrats only need to win two additional state Senate seats to win control of the Senate – there is likely a higher than 50% chance that will occur. While it is possible that the Democrats could also take control of the state Assembly – they would need to win 5 new seats to do so – it is viewed as less likely. The significant number of Republican legislators retiring – listed below – could increase the probability of Democrats taking control of one or both chambers of the Legislature.

The following incumbent state legislators have announced that they will not run for re-election in 2026:

State Senate

• Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp)
• Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield)
• Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater)
• Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg)
• o   NOTE: He currently serves as the Senate Majority Leader.
• Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)
• Sen. Andre Jacque (R-New Franken)

State Assembly

• Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester)
• o   NOTE: He currently serves as Assembly Speaker.
• Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville)
• Rep. Jerry O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac)
• Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Hortonville)
• Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca)
• o   NOTE: He currently serves as Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore.
• Rep. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger)
• Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha)
• Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah)
• Rep. Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek)
• Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa)
• o   She is running for the state Senate district currently occupied by Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield).
• Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon)
• o   She is running for the state Senate district currently occupied by Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green).
• Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison)
• o   She is currently running for Governor.

On May 14, in the midst of Hepatitis Awareness Month, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced a plan to eliminate hepatitis A, B, and C. To assist in monitoring that goal, it unveiled an online dashboard to track the progress towards meeting this goal. For more information on this plan, as well as the online dashboard, please visit the DHS website.

On March 17, 2026, the Wisconsin State Senate completed its final session day for the 2025-2026 regular legislative session, and the State Assembly held its final session day on February 20. While the legislature has concluded their scheduled session, there remains the possibility that the Assembly and Senate could reconvene for a special session (called by the Governor) or an extraordinary session (called by the Legislature itself) to address a major topic (e.g., a tax cut and/or school spending plan in response to the $2.5 billion state surplus).

Following the end of the 2025-2026 legislative session, Governor Tony Evers (D) has taken action on the following bills:

Assembly Bill 598 (Consent to admissions to certain health care facilities by patient representatives without requiring a petition for guardianship or protective placement)

• This bill allows a patient’s representative to consent to an incapacitated individual’s admission directly from a hospital to a nursing home or a community-based residential facility.
• This legislation passed the Assembly on February 19 by a vote of 77-18. It passed the Senate on March 17 by a vote of 28-5.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on March 20.
• WiHPCA formally registered in support of this legislation.

Senate Bill 264 (Requires health insurers to cover diagnostic breast exams and  screening exams for those  at increased risk of breast cancer)

• This bill also requires such screenings to be covered by Medicaid.
• SB264 passed the Assembly on February 19 by a vote of 96-0. It passed the Senate on October 14, 2025, by a vote of 32-1.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on March 19.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

Senate Bill 417 (Visitation of a long-term care facility resident or hospital patient during a communicable disease outbreak)

• The bill allows members of the clergy and “essential visitors” to visit residents/patients of an assisted living facility, nursing home, or hospital during a communicable disease outbreak, provided that these individuals meet certain criteria, including complying with health and safety policies.
• This bill passed the Senate on January 21 by a vote of 19-14. It passed the Assembly on February 19 by voice vote.
• Governor Evers vetoed this bill on March 20.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

Senate Bill 822 (Allows discounts for the prompt payment of health care fees)

• Under prior state law, a clinician is not allowed to reduce (or offer to reduce) a patient’s coinsurance or deductible unless paying the amount would be an undue financial hardship for the patient.
• This bill clarifies that discounts for prompt patient payment do not violate existing prohibitions in state law. It also clarifies that clinicians may (but are not required to) offer a discount to patients for prompt payment. Discounts are limited to 15% of the bill (and are reasonably related to the avoided amount of collection costs).
• The bill also includes the following requirements related to allowing such a payment discount:
• The discount must be offered uniformly for prompt payment, without regard to the insurer or the patient's reason for seeking care.
• The clinician must notify insurers by posting the most up-to-date discount policy on their website (public advertising of the discount is prohibited unless otherwise required by law).
• The discount cannot be provided before the service is scheduled or outside the clinician’s ordinary course of dealing with patients (e.g., at registration, billing, or payment).
• Clinicians cannot shift the cost of the discount to other payers or include it in third-party payer contracts (except as allowed by state or federal law).
• This bill passed the Assembly on February 19  by voice vote. It passed the Senate on February 11.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on April 2.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

Senate Bill 832 (Allowing any pharmacy to be operated as a remotely supervised pharmacy, if the pharmacist complies with the Pharmacy Examining Board’s rules)

• Under prior state law, pharmacies at certain locations (e.g., health care facilities, clinicians’ offices, and correctional facilities) may be operated as remote dispensing sites that are supervised remotely by pharmacists.
• This bill passed the Assembly on February 19 by voice vote. It passed the Senate on February 11.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on April 2.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this legislation.

On March 24, 2026, Marquette University Law School Poll released its most recent poll, which surveyed 850 registered Wisconsin voters between March 11-18, 2026. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percentage points. Marquette’s most recent prior Wisconsin state-specific poll was released in February 2026. This new poll covers political approval ratings, 2026 candidates, as well as various policy areas.

The following March 2026 poll findings may be of interest:

Elected Officials

President Trump (R) Job Approval

• 42% approve
• 56% disapprove

Governor Tony Evers (D) Job Approval

• 47% approve
• 47% disapprove
• 6% don’t know

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R) Favorability

• 36% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R)
• 44% have an unfavorable opinion of him
• 20% haven’t heard enough

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) Favorability

• 43% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D)
• 47% have an unfavorable opinion of her
• 10% haven’t heard enough

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidates – 2026 August Primary Election

The following are the polling results of Wisconsin Republican primary voters when asked for whom they would vote:

• Congressman Tom Tiffany:                                        40%    
• Medical Service Technician Andy Manske:               6%
• Undecided                                                                  54%

The following are the polling results of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters when asked for whom they would vote:

• State Rep. Francesca Hong (Madison):                                                         14%
• Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes:                                             11%
• Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez:                                                           3%
• Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley:                                                3%
• Former Non-Profit Executive Joel Brennan:                                      2%
• Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes:       1%
• State Sen. Kelda Roys (Madison):                                                     1%
• Former State Rep. Brett Hulsey (Madison Suburbs):                                    0%
• Carthage College Student Zachary Roper                                         0%
• Undecided                                                                                          65%

General Issues

The most important issue among registered voters:

• Inflation and the cost of living:                                    35%
• Illegal immigration and border security:                     14%
• Health insurance:                                            11%
• Jobs and the economy:                                              9%
• Property taxes:                                                            7%
• Affordability of housing:                                              6%
• Abortion policy:                                                           5%
• Public schools:                                                            5%
• Gun violence:                                                  5%
• Crime in your community:                               2%