Capitol Report
By State Representative, Leon D. Young
Leon D. Young
This week the Department of Health Services finally got around to submitting its plan to the Department of Administration to create the Division of Medicaid Services (DMS), as directed in 2015 Wisconsin Act 55, the 2015-17 Biennial Budget.
According to the press announcement, the goal of the reorganization is to streamline processes and strengthen the ability of DHS to effectively and efficiently administer programs and services, which include FoodShare, Family Care, and the BadgerCare Plus.
With that being said, it begs the obvious question: What are the parameters of this new reorganization? And, more importantly, how will these changes actually impact those receiving the services?
For starters, a component of the reorganization includes the rollout of the highly anticipated Family Care/Iris 2.0 program. According to its concept paper, Family Care/Iris 2.0 will build on the strengths and key features of the current Family Care and Iris programs.
In addition, program participants will continue to have a choice of self-direction as well as a choice of providers in the communities in which they live, including the option to receive services from tribal providers.
Family Care/Iris 2.0 will include long-term care services currently covered under Family Care and Iris as well as Medicaid covered acute, primary, and behavioral health services.
It’s important to note that members who choose to self-direct their long-term care services, under Family Care 2.0, will continue to have employer and budget authority as well as the ability to self-direct all current Iris services.
The new program is expanding to serve all 72 counties and will reach more than 60,000 Wisconsinites. Moreover, program participants have the choice to live in the least restrictive and most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.
During this last budget cycle, Scott Walker wanted to make drastic, wholesale and unnecessary changes, to Wisconsin’s long-term care system.
This created a mass hysteria among seniors. But, Senate Republicans refused to go along with the governor’s initial plan to eliminate the Iris program.
They opted, instead, to have DHS formulate a plan, which is now being realized as Family Care/ Iris 2.0.
There is no question that the new program is better than what the governor initially proposed, but only time will tell if the new program is, in fact, more user-friendly than its predecessor.