Colleagues -
WACEP needs your help! As you know, we have been working for decades to obtain an increase in Medicaid reimbursement to help support our work as the state's healthcare safety net. We are honored to take care of anyone who comes to the ED 24/7/365, but currently, Medicaid reimbursement only pays for 40% of the cost of taking care of a Medicaid enrollee patient.
For years, WACEP has continued to communicate our concerns about being able to attract and retain emergency physicians to our state, given that our Medicaid reimbursement is lower than any other state in the nation. Now more than ever after the COVID roller coaster of ED volumes, and after federal support has come and gone, it remains questionable whether our ED safety net is sustainable.
Governor Evers heard us, and his budget bill contains funding to increase Medicaid reimbursement specifically for emergency physicians! We need your help to push this across the finish line as our legislators now consider priorities for their version of a budget bill.
We need you to do three things:
- Register for the April 8th WACEP Spring Symposium (if you're not already). Governor Evers is confirmed to provide remarks at our conference, and we need to show him that emergency physicians are engaged. It's just a few short months before he'll be signing a final budget bill.
- Donate to the WI Emergency Medicine Political Action Committee and plan to attend the VIP Coffee Hour Reception during the Symposium that is exclusively offered as an opportunity for WEMPAC donors. The reception will feature Rep. Mark Born, co-chair of the powerful Joint Finance Committee that is instrumental in the budget process. Please join us to inform Rep. Born why increased Medicaid reimbursement for emergency physicians is desperately needed.
- Watch for a call to action via grassroots advocacy in the next couple of weeks where we will prompt you to send messages to your legislators regarding our specific budget ask for increased Medicaid reimbursement for emergency physicians.
Thank you so much for keeping emergency medicine in Wisconsin strong!
Lisa Maurer, MD, FACEP
WACEP Legislative Committee Chair
Brad Burmeister, MD, FACEP
WACEP President
