Date: April 4, 2002
For more information contact: Kyle Richmond (608) 267-9336 or kyle.richmond@oci.state.wi.us

Madison, WI--Governor Scott McCallum today announced a gathering of healthcare, insurance and public officials organized to offer solutions for Wisconsin's deficit in Medicare reimbursement funding.

The Medicare Reimbursement Summit will convene on Monday, April 29, in Madison.

"Doctors, hospitals and health systems are struggling with the costs of caring for our Medicare population in Wisconsin," Gov. McCallum said. "We need a more equitable reimbursement system so that our health providers can focus on delivering quality care."

Across the nation, the federal government pays health providers who serve Medicare patients through a regional formula that was developed in 1967. Wisconsin consistently ranks among the ten lowest of the 50 states in its reimbursement rate. That disparity is costing state residents in a variety of ways, Gov. McCallum said.

"Hospitals have difficulty hiring the proper staff, and the shortage of health care professionals in rural areas is getting worse," Gov. McCallum said. "Meanwhile, insurance premiums become more expensive for everyone as a result. We have to address the problem now."

The summit will include policymakers, healthcare providers and insurers. First District Congressman Paul Ryan is scheduled to attend, as will representatives of the Wisconsin Health & Hospital Association, the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative, the Department of Health & Family Services, Cobalt Corporation, Wisconsin Physicians Service, the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Wisconsin Association of Heath Plans.

Participants will get an update on legislative activity in Washington, brainstorm for solutions to the current Medicare formula and hear a roundtable discussion of the problem. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance will coordinate registration for the gathering, which will be held at Madison's Quality Inn South.

The event was organized at the suggestion of the Governor's Small Employer Health Insurance Task Force, and will be hosted by Insurance Commissioner Connie L. O'Connell. Tom Still, associate editor of the Wisconsin State Journal, will chair a panel discussion.

For more information about the Medicare Reimbursement Summit on April 29, please contact the OCI's Jim Guidry at (608) 264-6239 or jim.guidry@wisconsin.gov. For general insurance information, see the OCI Web site at oci.wi.gov or write to OCI, P.O. Box 7873, Madison, WI 53707-7873. Questions can be directed to the OCI toll-free at 1-800-236-8579 or by electronic mail at ociinformation@wisconsin.gov.