Press Release

MADISON, Wis. — Eric Borgerding, Wisconsin Hospital Association President and CEO, thanked Governor Evers and state lawmakers for putting forward and signing a strong health care budget for Wisconsin:  

“While the cost of caring for patients in hospitals has risen well above the rate of general inflation, reimbursement from private insurance companies and government programs have failed to keep pace. This imbalance between revenues and expenses is a dangerous trend for any organization but particularly for hospitals as they care for everyone who comes to their doors; concerns we have been communicating to the Governor and lawmakers for nearly a year.  

The Wisconsin Hospital Association applauds the bipartisan response to these concerns in this budget. The legislation signed into law today prioritizes strong investments for our health care safety-net, increasing Medicaid reimbursement for all hospitals and especially for those with higher Medicaid patient volumes in rural and urban communities.  This budget also includes needed investments in primary care and inpatient behavioral health reimbursement.

Additionally, the budget puts forward funding to ensure the health care workforce problems we face today do not become worse. WHA applauds the millions of dollars this budget invests in matching grants to hospitals to support their efforts to educate and train physicians, registered nurses, allied health professionals and other critical hospital and health care system staff.

The Wisconsin Hospital Association appreciates the bipartisan leadership of Governor Evers, Republican CoChairs of the Joint Finance Committee and individual lawmakers that championed specific policies, in putting forward and approving a strong health care budget for Wisconsin.”