By Adam Korbitz, Government Relations Coordinator, State Bar of Wisconsin

March 31, 2010 – The State Bar of Wisconsin’s Public Interest Law Section recently testified before two legislative committees in favor of legislation that would establish a network of health benefits counselors to assist Wisconsin residents under the age of 60 seeking health care coverage and services.

Both the Assembly and Senate Health Committees held public hearings March 24 on bills to create a proposed health benefits counselor network that would coordinate with other benefit specialists to refer uninsured individuals to new or existing health benefit programs.

Attorney Brynne McBride, a member of the PILS board and a lawyer with the public interest law firm ABC for Health, Inc., testified at the hearings in favor of Assembly Bill 878 and Senate Bill 633.

“Complicated health care financing and coverage programs frustrate many people in your districts,” McBride told legislators at the hearings. “Public and private programs have eligibility and application procedures as well as important and often overlooked appeal processes. Members of the Public Interest Law Section serve individuals daily that need help sorting through these and other health benefits issues.”

The bills, introduced by Representative Donna Seidel and Senator Mark Miller, would require the Department of Health Services to annually award $250,000 to an oversight organization that would implement a program to assist people in obtaining and maintaining health care services and coverage of health care expenses.

The oversight organization receiving the money must, in turn, allocate the money to other entities – nonprofits, governmental units or institutions of higher education – that directly provide assistance to people in obtaining and maintaining health care benefits. In addition, the oversight organization must provide training and technical assistance to the funded entities and must provide legal services to aid low-income people in obtaining and maintaining health care benefits.

Under the bill, the oversight organization receiving the initial funding from the department must provide matching funds in the first year, and the organizations receiving grants from the oversight organization must provide matching funds on an ongoing basis.

Funding under the bill can be used to assist people in applying for health insurance or government health care programs, appealing denials of eligibility or denials of coverage for health care services, coordinating health care benefits for people who have more than one source of health care coverage, and referring people to information and programs regarding preventive health care. The money can also be used to promote chronic disease management, responsible utilization of health care services, and healthy lifestyles.

According to McBride, Wisconsin has previously developed similar lay advocacy programs. In the 1980s, Wisconsin implemented a coordinated network of senior benefits specialists who provide similar support for people over age 60. Wisconsin has also developed a network of aging and disability resource centers and disability benefits specialists. Attorneys provide training and technical assistance to both of these programs, McBride told legislators.

The services proposed by AB 878 and SB 633 would be available to populations not served by existing programs, in particular children, adults who do not have disabilities and disabled adults under age 60 who live in counties that do not currently have a disabilities benefits specialist.

McBride also told legislators the bill would have a positive effect on Wisconsin’s economy.

“Effective health benefits counseling can help secure scarce federal resources in the way of Medicaid dollars to local hospitals and clinics,” McBride told legislators. “People connected to coverage – whether private insurance, public benefits, or employer-sponsored benefits – prevent the cost shifting of un- and under- insurance to those who are insured. Hospitals benefit from third-party reimbursements, whether from private insurance or Medicaid reimbursements. The alternative is bad debt for hospitals and medical debt or bankruptcy for consumers. The whole community benefits from health care coverage resources that flow into the local and state economies.”

State Bar section activities regarding legislation and lobbying are coordinated by the State Bar’s government relations team. Continue to monitor WisBar.org and visit the State Bar’s Government Relations page for updated information on this legislation.

Related articles:

State Bar sections gear up for end-of-session rush – Dec. 1, 2009
Public Interest Law Section advocates payday loan interest limits – Oct. 12, 2009

The State Bar of Wisconsin establishes and maintains sections for carrying on the work of the association, each within its proper field of study defined in its bylaws. Each section consists of members who voluntarily enroll in the section because of a special interest in the particular field of law to which the section is dedicated. Section positions are taken on behalf of the section only.

The views expressed on this issue have not been approved by the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Wisconsin and are not the views of the State Bar as a whole. These views are those of the Section alone.

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© 2009, State Bar of Wisconsin