In Wisconsin, we are fortunate to have one of the highest quality health care systems in the country and we are among the lowest states when it comes to the uninsured. However, as I continue to discuss issues with area families, the rising cost of health care remains a top concern. With increasing gas and food prices, we need to do everything possible to ensure health care doesn't break our family budgets. Over the past session we've acted to pass reforms that increase access, decrease costs and promote prevention and wellness.
In a bipartisan fashion last legislative session, we were successful in advancing an aggressive agenda designed to lower health-related costs, while increasing access. The landmark BadgerCare Plus program was enacted to ensure that 98 percent of Wisconsinites have health care coverage. The first phase has been extremely successful in enrolling 45,000 children. The second phase will expand to help provide options to childless adults and is on course to be implemented early in 2009. The final phase will focus on small business health insurance reform.
In addition to increasing health care access, the state Assembly also passed an agenda focused on reducing health care costs. The legislation promoted consumer driven health care ideas like increasing tax incentives, transparency, cost-cutting technology, and tools for small businesses to pool coverage.
Perhaps one of the most prevalent subjects related to health care costs is the use of tobacco. As we all know, tobacco has been linked to multiple illnesses ranging from cancer to heart disease. The key issue at hand is how to strike a balance between promoting health lifestyles and encourage prevention, while respecting personal freedoms and responsibility.
I believe there are things we can do at the state level to help those who want to quit using tobacco. The bipartisan budget compromise included increased funding for the tobacco use control grants to $15 million annually. In addition, to help decrease the use of tobacco, the Assembly budget established a smoking cessation program for medical assistance participants and provided funding for a "workplace wellness" program to encourage employers around the state to establish incentives for employers to reward healthy living. The budget also included increased funding for cessation programs, youth tobacco prevention campaigns, and increased resources to the state's Quit Line.
Last month it was announced that adult smoking in Wisconsin has reached a record low, which is a strong signal that the policies enacted by the state are working. For the first time, the adult prevalence rate in Wisconsin is below 20 percent at 19.6 percent, which is down from 24 percent in 2000. In addition, we've seen a record 20,000 people call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT NOW).
The bipartisan budget agreement also provides a $125,000 increase in funding for the Wisconsin Well Woman Program (WWWP), to provide breast cancer and cervical cancer screening services. The WWWP is a federal program, founded in 1994, that provides health screening services to low-income women between the ages of 45 and 64 with little or no health insurance coverage. These services include mammograms, pap tests and multiple sclerosis testing, and the program is available in all 72 Wisconsin counties. By promoting early detection, cancers can be caught at an early stage when they are more treatable. To learn more, visit http://www.wwhf.org/.
Overall, I believe we are on the right track by promoting consumer driven health care and encouraging personal responsibility. By giving individuals, families and small businesses the tools, information and technology they need, we can harness the free market and empower consumers to lower the cost of health care. The consumer driven model is completely different from the alternative ideas that would put our health care dollars and decisions in the hands of a non-elected government board, which would inevitably result in job-killing tax increases.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
In a bipartisan fashion last legislative session, we were successful in advancing an aggressive agenda designed to lower health-related costs, while increasing access. The landmark BadgerCare Plus program was enacted to ensure that 98 percent of Wisconsinites have health care coverage. The first phase has been extremely successful in enrolling 45,000 children. The second phase will expand to help provide options to childless adults and is on course to be implemented early in 2009. The final phase will focus on small business health insurance reform.
In addition to increasing health care access, the state Assembly also passed an agenda focused on reducing health care costs. The legislation promoted consumer driven health care ideas like increasing tax incentives, transparency, cost-cutting technology, and tools for small businesses to pool coverage.
Perhaps one of the most prevalent subjects related to health care costs is the use of tobacco. As we all know, tobacco has been linked to multiple illnesses ranging from cancer to heart disease. The key issue at hand is how to strike a balance between promoting health lifestyles and encourage prevention, while respecting personal freedoms and responsibility.
I believe there are things we can do at the state level to help those who want to quit using tobacco. The bipartisan budget compromise included increased funding for the tobacco use control grants to $15 million annually. In addition, to help decrease the use of tobacco, the Assembly budget established a smoking cessation program for medical assistance participants and provided funding for a "workplace wellness" program to encourage employers around the state to establish incentives for employers to reward healthy living. The budget also included increased funding for cessation programs, youth tobacco prevention campaigns, and increased resources to the state's Quit Line.
Last month it was announced that adult smoking in Wisconsin has reached a record low, which is a strong signal that the policies enacted by the state are working. For the first time, the adult prevalence rate in Wisconsin is below 20 percent at 19.6 percent, which is down from 24 percent in 2000. In addition, we've seen a record 20,000 people call the Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line (1-800-QUIT NOW).
The bipartisan budget agreement also provides a $125,000 increase in funding for the Wisconsin Well Woman Program (WWWP), to provide breast cancer and cervical cancer screening services. The WWWP is a federal program, founded in 1994, that provides health screening services to low-income women between the ages of 45 and 64 with little or no health insurance coverage. These services include mammograms, pap tests and multiple sclerosis testing, and the program is available in all 72 Wisconsin counties. By promoting early detection, cancers can be caught at an early stage when they are more treatable. To learn more, visit http://www.wwhf.org/.
Overall, I believe we are on the right track by promoting consumer driven health care and encouraging personal responsibility. By giving individuals, families and small businesses the tools, information and technology they need, we can harness the free market and empower consumers to lower the cost of health care. The consumer driven model is completely different from the alternative ideas that would put our health care dollars and decisions in the hands of a non-elected government board, which would inevitably result in job-killing tax increases.
I want to hear from you, so please feel welcome to express your thoughts or let me know if I can be helpful to you in any way by calling (888) 534-0080, e-mailing me at Rep.Davis@legis.wi.gov or by writing or stopping by 308 North, State Capitol, Madison, WI 53708.
