Category Archives: Health Care Costs

Felzkowski leads on health care pricing

How to keep score on how Wisconsin is doing on health care for its citizens? It’s a tough question. And it’s a preeminent question. It deals with all-important family health and with family prosperity, since health and wealth run together. … Read the rest

Will the latest hospital merger help consumers?

Will patients/consumers of Froedtert Health and ThedaCare be better off after the just announced merger of the two Wisconsin health systems? Will Wisconsin Attorney General Joshua Kaul exercise any of his authorized oversight of the merger for the benefit of … Read the rest

Obvious building blocks for U.S. health care

Neither the Republican nor Democratic parties at the state or federal level brought up health costs and quality as an issue in November mid-term elections, even though it is probably the second biggest economic issue facing citizens and businesses, behind … Read the rest

Put a stop to hospital merger mania

Merger mania for Wisconsin hospital corporations came to a crescendo last week without even a sniff of interest from the state’s regulators. The merger of Bellin Health of Green Bay and Gunderson Health of La Crosse was finalized last week, … Read the rest

Why are we ducking ugly health costs?

How about a little quiz on one of the nation’s biggest issues that got almost no attention in the state and national midterm elections? Quiz Question 1: What’s the second largest economic challenge facing the country? Roaring inflation is on … Read the rest

Where’s Kaul on Health Cost Battle?

If ever an industry needed fundamental disruption, it’s the health care industry in America. I’m not talking about the pure medical side of the Medical Industrial Complex (MIC), which can be wonderful to the point of miraculous. I’m talking about … Read the rest

David vs. Goliath on soaring health costs

Self-insured employers have been fighting the good fight against runaway health costs for their companies and for their workers for decades, without much help from state and national politicians. But a ray of sunshine has emerged: the courts. A cause-driven … Read the rest

Wisconsin 4th highest for health costs; Rand, Indiana lead reforms

For decades, self-ensured employers have been fighting -- mainly by themselves -- to put the brakes on out-of-control health costs. But finally, believe it or not, help is on the way from the federal government. A new federal law requires … Read the rest

Does Wisconsin need another hospital merger?

Could someone please explain how the pending merger of the Advocate-Aurora Health (A-A) of Chicago and Milwaukee and Atrium Health of Charlotte, North Carolina helps patients and employers in Wisconsin? That fundamental question needs deep examination by federal and state … Read the rest

Rebel Companies go “BUCA-free” for health care

STEVENS POINT -- After some relief from health cost hyper-inflation during the COVID fall-off in treatments, costs are again rising, self-insured companies in central Wisconsin are revving up a rebellion against the Medical Industrial Complex. Among their tactics they are … Read the rest