WRN Daily: Advocates Warn Medicaid Cuts, Caregiver Strains and Housing Shortages Threaten Independent Living

Wisconsin disability advocates say potential Medicaid cuts, caregiver burnout and a shortage of accessible housing could make it harder for people with disabilities and older adults to live independently. During a recent disability and aging forum, Fox Valley self-advocate Carl Schulze warned federal Medicaid reductions could lead states to cut...

SNAP work rules in Wisconsin now cover FoodShare adults ages 18 to 64

Wisconsin’s FoodShare work requirement now covers adults ages 18 to 64, including parents whose children at home are 14 or older, the state Department of Health Services says. Until federal rules changed, the requirement stopped at 54. The department’s FoodShare news page lists the change under a September 1, 2026 date and says each member’s […] The post SNAP work rules in Wisconsin now cover FoodShare adults ages 18 to 64 appeared first on The Money Overview .

State Debate: Partisan vaccines, baseball's immigrants, Brewers help Crowley?, on tap today

Vaccinations must not be partisan, writes columnist Bill Kaplan in a posting on WisOpinion. He quotes the president-elect of the American Medical Association describing the dangers of the current measles outbreak and points to former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson's admonition that vaccines aren't a Democrat or Republican issue. The constitution...

DNR, Gov. Evers announce launch of grant programs to ensure safe, clean drinking water statewide

MADISON, Wis. (WEAU) - Gov. Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced the launch of two new grant programs to provide funding to help communities sample private wells and public water supplies for PFAS contamination. According to a press release from Gov. Evers, the two grant programs...

Aspirus Wausau Hospital earns perinatal care certification

WAUSAU – Aspirus Wausau Hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission’s Outcomes-Driven Perinatal Care Certification, recognizing the hospital’s commitment to delivering high-quality, evidence-based care to mothers and newborns, Aspirus announced in October. The hospital achieved the certification as a Tier 1 organization, the highest of three performance...

Solstice Health COO Jessa Cisewski Named a 2027 Wisconsin Titan 100 Honoree

From patient to Chief Operating Officer, Cisewski’s leadership is helping redefine healthcare delivery and earning recognition among Wisconsin’s most influential business executives. MILWAUKEE, WI / ACCESS Newswire / October 19, 2026 / Transforming healthcare takes more than innovative ideas. It takes leaders with the vision to challenge what’s...

State announces grant programs to test drinking water systems for PFAS

Two new grant programs have launched in Wisconsin to help test water supplies for PFAS chemicals. Governor Tony Evers and the DNR announced the PFAS Community Grants Sampling Program and the Wisconsin PFAS Private Well Testing program. “This is an exciting day that has been a long time coming, and...

Scientists call for change in Wisconsin’s energy planning

The companies, people and issues shaping business in Madison and the Capital Region. The Union of Concerned Scientists, decrying the recent approval of two new gas plants by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, called Friday for changes in statewide energy planning. On Oct. 15, the PSC conditionally approved applications...

Aspirus Health Opens Neonatal Health Clinic in Wausau

(Mike Leischner, WSAU) Aspirus Health has opened a neonatal health clinic, focused on caring for children who require intensive care from birth to age three. According to Mike Leischner with WSAU, the clinic will offer a roster of neonatologists and physical, speech, language, and occupational therapists, focused on screening for and addressing post-discharge issues in a child’s first two years. Neuroplasticity, or brain growth, is highest during the first two years of life, and interventions during that time significantly improve outcomes.

Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital welcomes new OB-GYN

Aspirus Health has announced that John Ester, MD, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with more than 25 years of experience, has joined the medical staff at Aspirus Rhinelander Hospital and Aspirus Rhinelander Clinic – N Shore Drive. “Dr. Ester brings extensive expertise in comprehensive women’s health care, including management...

Family Health Center of Marshfield Breaks Ground on New Facility in Wisconsin Rapids

Senior leadership from Family Health Center of Marshfield (FHC) was joined by government officials and community partners on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026, to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new health center that will expand access to healthcare services in the Wisconsin Rapids area. The new 24,250-square-foot Wisconsin Rapids Health Center...

Tony Lo Sasso on healthcare costs as a top issue for voters

This transcript was auto-generated from video closed captioning subtitles and is likely to contain text, spelling and/or grammatical errors. The transcript is temporary and will soon be replaced by a clean and accurate version. Thank you for your patience. to the floor. What are the most important issues to voters?...

Wisconsin hospitals highly concentrated, new report shows

(The Center Square) – A new study of healthcare in Wisconsin shows Wisconsin hospitals are highly concentrated, including being more concentrated than neighboring Illinois. The impact is that patients have healthcare options but not a wide range of hospital networks to choose from. The concentration increased after a 2021 merger between Aspires and Ascension and would increase more if Madison’s joint operating agreement between hospitals would make it considered to be one firm. The study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Anthony Lo Sasso and Capital Policy Analytics’ Ike Brannon for UW-Madison’s Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy is a follow-up to a prior report from the pair showing that Wisconsin hospitals charge 25.6% more to patients for in-person care than hospitals in Illinois. “People have options, healthcare is available, but the fact that there are not competitor institutions and hospitals around implies that it’s the insurers who don’t have a lot of choices,” Lo Sasso told The Center Square. “You can’t build a network without the big players in the market.” The costs to consumers for hospital procedures are often the result of negotiations with insurance companies. But, in Wisconsin, 36% of those insured through commercial enrollment in the

Change in Aspirus Medicare coverage in Wausau

Aspirus Neonatal Clinic opens in Wausau

WAUSAU, Wis. — A new neonatal clinic is opening in Wausau, Wis. Aspirus Health opened the Aspirus Neonatal Clinic on its Wausau campus. Care teams at the clinic include neonatologists, physical therapists, speech therapists, language therapists and occupational therapists. There are also respiratory therapists, ophthalmologists, audiologists, dietitians and behavioral health specialists.

Family Medicine Physician Dr. Katelyn Larsen joins Aspirus Tomahawk Clinic

TOMAHAWK – This week, Aspirus Health announced that Katelyn Larsen, MD, has joined Aspirus Tomahawk Clinic. In Tomahawk, Dr. Larsen will provide comprehensive family medicine care for patients of all ages, according to a release from Aspirus. Dr. Larsen earned her medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin...

State Rep. Clint Moses Secured Millions to Improve Health Care in Western Wisconsin

When hospitals in the Chippewa Valley closed abruptly and left families without mental health care, Rep. Clint Moses went to work on it. The Menomonie chiropractor lobbied the state budget committee and came back with money for new treatment beds in western Wisconsin. That is the kind of work Moses...

Meijer Now Accepts Evermore OTC Cards For Medicare Customers

Meijer now accepts over-the-counter spend cards, expanding the ways eligible Medicare customers can use qualifying supplemental health plan benefits to purchase covered OTC products and other plan-approved items at its stores. The direct integration makes it easier for participating Medicare plan members to shop for approved health and wellness items,...

ENT & Allergy cuts ribbon on new home for Northwoods health care

RHINELANDER – Though he claims no credit for why the clinic was built, ENT & Allergy Associates and its newest otolaryngologist, Shane White, recently celebrated both the grand opening of a new Rhinelander location and White’s homecoming. “I don’t personally claim credit for that building being built, but...

Emplify Health Working With Second Company to Help Older Adults Find Health Problems Earlier

Emplify Health by Bellin is teaming with a technology company to help older adults across the region stay healthy and independent in the communities where they live. The not-for-profit health system is working with Pearl Health by collaborating and enhancing care delivery for 25,000 Medicare beneficiaries across the combined Bellin and Gunderson footprint of 11 hospitals, over 100 clinics, and 1,400 providers in the upper Midwest.