MADISON . . . A legislative committee charged with examining health care costs in Wisconsin has scheduled its initial hearing next week in Milwaukee. Senators Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) and Carol Roessler (R-Oshkosh) are co-chairs of the Senate Select Committee on Health Care Reform.
“Wisconsin health care providers deliver excellent services, yet health care is difficult to obtain. This is in large part due to skyrocketing health care costs which place a huge financial burden on health care consumers, whether they are businesses or individuals,” said Roessler. “In an effort to make private health care coverage more affordable while maintaining quality services, we will work in a bipartisan manner to closely analyze health care cost, quality and access in Wisconsin.”
“As the population and economic center of Wisconsin, it’s appropriate to begin our discussion of the health care cost issue in the Milwaukee area,” said Darling. “We’re looking for input that will identify the factors behind the rising costs of care and coverage, and seeking recommendations for policy changes at the State level that will both lower the cost of coverage and improve the quality of care.”
The meeting – open to the public – will be held on Tuesday, April 11 at 10 a.m. in the T auditorium of Milwaukee Area Technical College, 700 W. State St. Invited speakers representing health care providers, consumers and other interests will address issues related to the cost, quality and access to health care. Among the discussion topics is the price of health care services in Southeast Wisconsin, the subject of a 2005 U.S. General Accounting Office study requested by Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Congressman Paul Ryan.
“In order to get to a solution, we need to understand the problem,” said Darling. “The input from these hearings is a first step in directing us toward a more effective and efficient health care system.”
The Milwaukee hearing will be the first of two meetings held outside of the Capitol. A May hearing will be held at a to-be-determined location in Northwest Wisconsin, prior to a series of Madison meetings in the following months.
