Category Archives: Health Care Costs
Guv wannabees: ‘It’s health care costs, stupid!’
You would think at least one of the eight candidates for governor of Wisconsin would by now have laid a glove on the underlying costs of health care. It’s the number one affordability issue in the minds of voters. How … Read the rest
GrandCare CEO asks Senate to tackle aging crisis
West Bend native Laura Hillman Mitchell played a star witness role in Congress Wednesday as she pitched the use of technology to keep seniors living longer in their homes. After declaring, “Our nation is in an aging crisis,” Mitchell asked … Read the rest
Wisconsin health cost solutions: Price caps ala Oregon, Indiana
Governor elections are supposed to be all about fresh ideas, and that should be especially true this year in Wisconsin as nine bright candidates vie for the top state job. So far, with only six months before the August 11 … Read the rest
Guv wannabes could tackle health costs
With a herd of smart, ambitious and experienced candidates running for governor in Wisconsin in 2026, wouldn’t you think that they would surface some striking and innovative proposals for the governance of the state? So far, seven Democrats and two … Read the rest
Wisconsin puzzle: high health care costs, falling outcomes
This is a guest column from Tom Hefty, former CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield Wisconsin, who still watches health care trends in the state like a hawk. WISCONSIN'S HEALTHCARE PARADOX New reports are out on Wisconsin health care, and … Read the rest
Clarion call: Wisconsin health costs high; Health rankings drop
BY JOHN TORINUS & TOM HEFTY FEBRUARY 11, 2025 We just received another wakeup call on health care in Wisconsin, where costs are too high, public health outcomes have plummeted, and our governor has hit the snooze button. In the … Read the rest
CEO murder opens door to health care reform
The aftermath from the murder of the CEO of UnitedHealthcare has been angry and ugly. Truth be told, though, the macabre event may have triggered a long overdue reassessment of the overall delivery of care in the United States, which … Read the rest
Harris, Trump duck soaring health costs
Believe it or not, the average cost of healthcare for a family of four in America in 2023, according the Milliman Medical Index, was $31,065 in an employer plan. Yes, you read that right. The employer typically picks up 70 … Read the rest
What would Teddy do? bust hospital trusts
“Corporations engaged in interstate commerce should be regulated if they are found to exercise a license working to the public injury.” President Theodore Roosevelt. (He filed anti-trust actions against 44 corporations while in office.) Flash forward 120 years. Today, we … Read the rest
Sen. Feyen: Issues to tackle
Health Care Costs, Health System Mergers, Partisan Politics, University of Wisconsin System, Washington County, West Bend, Wisconsin Surplus
Welcome to West Bend, State Senator Dan Feyen (pictured below). And thanks to the opportunity to respond to your survey about the highest needs for public policy in Wisconsin. My response is below. You replaced Duey Strobel as the senator … Read the rest
