State & Federal Health Care Issues

WHA has strong relationships with the legislators and agency officials in Wisconsin and Washington, D.C., who are making decisions that impact your patients, your facilities, and your communities. Our reputation for superior results is based on a bipartisan approach to advocacy and a solid foundation of issue expertise, skill, experience and integrity. WHA consistently supports and promotes our members’ interests and aggressively opposes policies that would negatively impact them.


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    Reimbursement & Coverage

    Two out of three patients receiving care at a Wisconsin hospital are covered by either Medicare or Medicaid (BadgerCare). Both the federal Medicare and state-administered Medicaid programs underfund Wisconsin hospitals, causing a cost shift onto everyone else who receives care at a hospital.


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    Workforce & Team-Based Care

    Among the many issues facing the field of health care, none is more important to its long-term future than solving the growing workforce crisis. This section provides more information on how Wisconsin hospitals are working to solve this critical issue, along with workforce-related solutions.


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    Behavioral Health

    Wisconsin’s hospitals and health systems are on the front line of providing behavioral health services to patients in Wisconsin, often creating access points for mental health and substance use disorders that otherwise would not exist.


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    Licensure & Regulatory Reform

    As one of the most regulated industries in the state, Wisconsin’s hospitals and health systems are burdened with significant levels of regulatory compliance from federal and state agencies.


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    Telehealth

    While Wisconsin families can take advantage of one of the best health care systems in the country, many Wisconsin communities struggle to retain access to health care services due to provider shortages and/or transportation barriers.


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    Worker's Compensation

    Wisconsin’s worker’s compensation program and our high-quality, high-value health care system sets us apart from the rest of the country - making Wisconsin an attractive place to do business.