WMC Foundation — an affiliate of Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) — released a new policy report outlining the challenges posed by Wisconsin’s disproportionately high health care costs and proposing solutions to decrease these costs.
An Arm & A Leg is the newest installment of WMC Foundation’s Wisconsin 2035, a research project seeking to understand the biggest economic issues facing the Wisconsin business community and detail policy solutions to cast a vision for the state’s future.
The report notes that Wisconsin has the fifth highest hospital costs in the country and the second highest medical payments for workers compensation. The high costs of health care hinder economic opportunity and growth, according to the report.
Additionally, the report offers case studies of best practices for private businesses. By using preferred providers — mostly independent clinics and other partners not associated with a hospital system — companies can compare costs for common procedures and offer cost-saving care for employees. Some employers also use on-site clinics and direct primary care to serve their teams and lower costs.
Wisconsin is one of five states without a medical fee schedule. An Arm & A Leg argues these schedules help stabilize workers compensation systems by limiting what providers can charge to treat injured workers.
