Latest news with #WisconsinDepartmentofHealthServices
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
More people are visiting Wisconsin emergency departments for tick bites this year, data shows
More people are visiting the emergency department for tick bites this year in Wisconsin compared to last year at this time, according to new data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. According to the data, rates of tick bite-associated visits to emergency departments in Wisconsin are slightly up from last year at 79 visits for tick bites per 10,000 ED visits, according to data from May 26 to June 1. Ticks are usually active in Wisconsin from May to November, but the pests are starting to make their appearance earlier than previous years as Wisconsin experiences warmer winters, according to the DHS. "We've had several consecutive warm winters in Wisconsin, so this could be boosting tick populations again this year," wrote DHS spokesperson Elizabeth Goodsitt. "It's also possible that some of the increase in tick bite-related emergency department visits could be from other factors ... like better awareness of tick-related illnesses, their associated symptoms, and when to seek health care," she added. While ticks are active, Wisconsinites can contract Lyme disease, a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. Rates of Lyme disease have tripled in Wisconsin over the past 15 years, according to DHS. In 2023, Wisconsin had more than 6,000 cases of Lyme disease, the highest on record. About 4,000 cases were reported each year between 2018 and 2022. RELATED: Ticks are out in force across Wisconsin right now. Here's what to do after a tick bite You can scan the QR code in the photo above and fill out the survey to receive more information from the DHS. Health care providers should also report cases to the local health department. Make sure to complete your report within 72 hours of recognizing a case. For more information, you can visit the state DHS web page on disease reporting. Before heading outside, you can treat your clothing and gear with a chemical insecticide called permethrin. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remains on gear through several washings. You can also buy permethrin-treated clothing and gear. When you're outside, avoid wooded areas with high grass, and walk in the center of trails. After you come indoors, check your clothing for ticks. You can tumble dry your clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks. Additionally, dogs are especially susceptible to tick bites because they are more likely to run through wooded and grassy areas. Talk to your veterinarian about the best tick prevention products for your pet. Check your pets regularly for ticks, especially after they spend time outdoors. Be sure to look for ticks around the tail, ears and eyelids, and under the front legs, back legs and between the toes. If you find a tick remove it immediately. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by deer ticks, which are small, and can often go unnoticed. Symptoms typically develop three to 30 days after being bitten by a tick. The symptoms include: Fever Chills Fatigue Muscle aches Joint pain Nausea Expanding rash, often in the shape of a bullseye This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Rates of tick bites, Lyme disease up in 2025 in Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U.S. House tax cut bill would check Medicaid qualifications every 6 months
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) website for enrolling in Medicaid and other state benefits programs. (Screenshot) Among changes to Medicaid tucked in the federal reconciliation bill that passed the U.S. House last week is one that requires participants in the state-federal health plan for the poor to prove they're eligible every six months. Wisconsin advocates said Tuesday the provision is likely to reduce Medicaid enrollment — not because people don't qualify but because of administrative errors and confusion. Under current state and federal law, people covered by Medicaid must have their eligibility confirmed every year. Eligibility depends on various factors, chief among them household income. People whose Medicaid services are tied to a disability undergo an annual evaluation to determine whether their disability still qualifies them. 'We already do a really good job about making sure that everybody who's in Medicaid is already eligible to be there,' Tamara Jackson, policy analyst and legislative liaison for the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, said in an interview. Checking eligibility more frequently isn't likely to uncover more people who are enrolled in Medicaid and don't qualify, Jackson said: 'It will lead to a different result because people who are eligible for the program are losing coverage because they didn't get the paperwork in on time.' 'It's going to probably result in kicking people off the program — some of it through error and some of it just benign neglect,' said Bobby Peterson, executive director of ABC for Health. The nonprofit is a public interest law firm that assists people navigating the health care system get coverage and address problems such as medical debt. 'It's part of a blizzard of paperwork to keep people off the program,' Peterson said of the twice-yearly Medicaid eligibility test. 'And it's not necessarily going to be very effective in maintaining program integrity.' He said Medicaid participants are already required to report changes in their income that could change whether they're eligible. 'It's calculated to deter people from staying with the [Medicaid] program,' Peterson said. 'It'll leave more people out and less people covered, more people uninsured.'Asfederalfundingandsystemsdwindle,statesarelefttodecidehowandwhethertomakeupthedifference. With fewer people covered by health insurance, that could lead to 'higher rates of medical debt, higher rates of uncompensated care, and then the socialization and redistribution of all that medical debt onto everybody else's [health care] bill,' Peterson said. 'So, it's a lose-lose proposition.' The House Republican majority drafted the reconciliation legislation in order to extend tax cuts enacted in 2017 during President Donald Trump's first term. The bill's tax cuts largely benefit higher-income households, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The bill's spending cuts to Medicaid and other programs, including federal nutrition aid, were included to reduce the tax cuts' impact on the federal deficit. In Wisconsin, about 1.3 million people are covered by Medicaid, according to the state Department of Health Services (DHS). About 900,000 are enrolled in BadgerCare Plus, which provides primary health care for families and single adults with incomes below the federal poverty guidelines. Another 250,000 are in one of several Medicaid programs for long-term care for people with disabilities or the elderly, and the rest are in other specialized programs. The change in how often Medicaid recipients must qualify for the program is just one of many changes in the program under the House reconciliation bill. In a report produced in late April before the bill's passage, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) calculated that its proposed Medicaid changes could cost Wisconsin up to $16.8 billion over the next date. Current federal Medicaid regulations forbid states from determining a person's eligibility more often than once a year. The House reconciliation bill would effectively override that rule. A requirement to check every Medicaid recipient's eligibility twice a year was part of state legislation that Wisconsin Republican lawmakers introduced earlier this year. That bill was met with sweeping criticism at a public hearing in April and has not advanced in the state Legislature. Supporters of the change have argued that more should be done to reduce fraud in the Medicaid program. But health care experts contend that the Medicaid cuts in the House bill are unlikely to address genuine fraud. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government temporarily suspended the annual Medicaid renewal requirement to ensure that people had health coverage and would seek medical help if they felt sick. 'Obviously if there's a public health emergency, you want to maintain connections and access to health care and coverage,' Peterson said. Some people may have been still covered under Medicaid after they were no longer eligible, he added, and some 'didn't even know they had Medicaid or BadgerCare Plus in addition to some private insurance at various times.' Nevertheless, 'it wasn't like there was wide-scale fraud' in the Medicaid program, Peterson said. 'There's very little evidence of a lot of consumer-related fraud in the program.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Newsweek
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
SNAP Benefit Cut Warning Issued in State Trump Won by 1%
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Proposed federal changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will "drive Wisconsinites into hunger" and harm the state's economy, according to new analysis. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) said the state would lose some $314 million in food assistance from the federal government under the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," which passed the House of Representatives last week. The budget legislation exceeds 1,000 pages and contains some of the most significant changes to SNAP eligibility and benefits in recent years. Some $300 billion is earmarked to be cut from the nationwide anti-poverty program. Wisconsin, which President Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election by less than one percent, has swung in recent elections between Republican and Democrat. All six of Wisconsin's Republican representatives voted for the bill, while the state's two Democratic House members voted against. President Donald Trump speaking at a town hall event in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in August last year. President Donald Trump speaking at a town hall event in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in August last year. KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/GETTY/AFP Why It Matters SNAP provides benefits for low- and no-income households across the country. In Wisconsin, more than 700,000 people rely on food stamp payments to buy groceries. Benefits are funded by the federal government and administered by state and local governments. The legislation, which is now being considered in the Senate, includes demands for increased state financial participation, expanded work requirements, and restricted exemptions for some families. What To Know In its analysis, the Wisconsin DHS said that shifting some of the benefit costs to the state would cost it more than $200 million per year. Under the bill, states would begin paying at least five percent of food benefit costs in the fiscal year 2028, which could reach up to 25 percent if they have high erroneous payment rates. "Wisconsin has one of the lowest payment error rates in the nation, but DHS estimates this provision would require Wisconsin to pay 15 percent of benefit costs," the report states. "In combination with other proposals changing how error rates are measured, Wisconsin would be on the hook for $207 million annually." Implementing new work requirements, which would mandate able-bodied beneficiaries without dependents to demonstrate 80 hours of paid or voluntary work per month, would cost Wisconsin $44 million per year. The DHS estimates that some 90,000 people would lose access to their benefits if the cuts are enacted. The GOP In Wisconsin Despite Trump's narrow election win in Wisconsin last year, there are some indicators that the tide is turning in the state. Earlier this year, Democrat-backed county judge Susan Crawford was elected to Wisconsin's Supreme Court, despite Trump and Elon Musk both giving their backing to her opponent Brad Schimel. Meanwhile, Wisconsin Representative Derrick Van Orden, a Republican, who has previously said he opposes any cuts to the SNAP program, voted in favor of the GOP budget last week. He said the bill would restore "integrity in the SNAP program by holding states accountable for their error rates and ensuring benefits are directed to those who need it most." What People Are Saying Bill Hanna, Medicaid director at Wisconsin DHS said last week: "There's going to be more demand to put state money into a program that has been 100 percent federally funded for really its entire existence, which will strain the state's ability to put its state dollars towards other things like education, our health care system and other important aspects of what we do with our state dollars." The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank, reported in March: "Mandating that states pay even a small share of SNAP food benefit costs would hit state budgets hard at a time when many states are facing revenue downturns. States are not in a position to absorb these substantial additional costs. In fiscal year 2024, tax revenue fell in 40 states after adjusting for inflation, and many states are projecting budget shortfalls in the short and long term." Republican Wisconsin Representative Van Orden said on the passage of the budget bill: "As the Democrats spent time fearmongering with lies that this bill will cut benefits, Republicans got the job done by delivering tax savings and benefit protections for the American people." Trump told reporters last week: "The cut is going to give everybody much more food because prices are coming way down, groceries are down." What Happens Next The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will now advance to the Senate, where further negotiations and possible amendments are expected before any changes to SNAP or other programs become law.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What were the top 10 most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 2024?
Does your child have one of the most popular baby names in Wisconsin? Each year, the Social Security Administration releases the top baby names across the U.S. and in each state. The names Olivia and Liam once again topped the list of America's most popular names for 2024, a trend that's six years and running. Both were in the top 10 for Wisconsin families, though the most popular were different. In 2023, Charlotte and Theodore were the most popular names in the Badger State. Wisconsin saw 59,739 births that year, the most recent data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows. Data for 2024 was not available on the DHS website. To see the full list of Wisconsin's most popular baby names in 2024, visit the SSA's website. Here were the 10 top girl names in Wisconsin last year, according to the SSA: Charlotte Olivia Evelyn Amelia Emma Eleanor Violet Nora Sophia Lainey More: Most popular baby names of 2024 released: Two names rank No. 1 for sixth straight year Here were the 10 top boy names in Wisconsin last year, according to the SSA: Oliver Henry Liam Theodore Noah James Owen Levi William Hudson More: National Puppy Day is Sunday. What are the top puppy names in Wisconsin? This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What were the most popular baby names in Wisconsin in 2024?
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Measles has been reported in nearly all Midwestern states. What's the risk in Wisconsin?
With nearly all of Wisconsin's neighboring states now reporting cases of measles, threat of an outbreak in the state is growing, public health officials say. So far, Wisconsin has not reported any measles cases in 2025. Last year, the state's only recorded case was in a Dane County adult, who has believed to have contracted the disease after traveling to another state. The state's last major outbreak was between 1989 and 1990, totaling more than 1,600 cases. However, as summer travel ramps up, an outbreak may not be far behind in Wisconsin, according to Stephanie Schauer, immunization program coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. As of May 8, the U.S. has logged more more than 1,000 measles cases across 31 states — compared to 285 cases in all of 2024, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, it sometimes only takes one travel-related case to cause an outbreak across an entire community, Schauer said. 'Just staying six feet away from someone won't really do it," she added. "Measles can stay suspended up in the air for up to two hours, so you can come into a space where there was a case of measles, and the person could have left an hour ago, but you could still contract the disease.' As cases continue rising nationally, here's how to best protect yourself from measles in Wisconsin. A surge in summer travel, rising cases in the Midwest and low vaccination rates for the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine statewide could all make for a major measles outbreak in Wisconsin, Schauer said. As of May 14, Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois had all reported between one and nine cases of measles in 2025, according to the CDC. In late April, Illinois officials confirmed a case in an adult who had traveled through Chicago O'Hare International Airport, a major connecting airport for Wisconsinites traveling outside the region. Though Wisconsinites traveling domestically to places with outbreaks — such as Texas, which has seen 600 cases alone — should still get up-to-date on vaccines, Schauer said international travel is the greatest risk factor for measles. "Many of the recent cases are linked to international travel," she said. "We see an increased risk anytime folks are traveling, especially with measles circulating in several areas of the world, including Canada, Mexico, Europe." If a traveler does bring measles back to Wisconsin, Schauer said there are "pockets throughout the whole state" that are under-vaccinated and vulnerable to the disease. About 90% of unvaccinated people who are exposed to measles end up contracting it, and one in five unvaccinated people who get measles end up needing hospitalization, according to the CDC 'For cases to not turn into more of an outbreak, you need about 95% of people in a given community protected," Schauer said. "That's pretty high, and we certainly have communities where it's much lower." In the 2023-24 school year, only about 84.8% of Wisconsin kindergartners were up-to-date on the MMR vaccine, one of the lowest vaccination rates nationwide, according to CDC data. Young children are at much higher risk of developing severe symptoms or even dying from measles. As of 2024, DHS reported that 81.4% of 24-month-olds in Wisconsin have received at least one dose of the MMR vaccine — compared to more than 90% nationally. The western region of the state had the lowest MMR vaccination rates, particularly Clark (49.8% vaccination), Vernon (44.3%) and Crawford (61%) counties. In Milwaukee, MMR vaccination rates for 24-month-olds were slightly below the state level at 83.5%. That's an improvement from lagging vaccination rates during the pandemic, but still a downtick from 87.7% in 2016. 'The MMR vaccination rate for children has been declining over the last ten years," Schauer said. "We're not nearly as high as we need to be.' In general, health officials say the following people should get the MMR vaccine: Adults and older children without proof of immunity should get at least one dose, or if they wish, two doses at least 28 days apart. Adults born in the U.S. before 1957 are considered immune. Infants between 12 and 15 months should get one dose. Children between 4 and 6 years should get a second dose. Two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective in preventing measles. For people traveling internationally, the recommendations are slightly different, due to increased risk of contracting the disease. Anyone without proof of immunity should get fully vaccinated with two doses, separated by at least 28 days. That includes adults, children and adolescents. Infants between 6 and 11 months can get their first MMR dose early if traveling internationally. They should then still get two doses after their first birthday (typically one dose at 12 months and a second at 4 to 6 years). If traveling internationally, Schauer said people should try to get fully vaccinated at least two weeks before travel, so the body has time to build up immunity. If you've been exposed to measles, you should try to get vaccinated within 72 hours of exposure to reduce risk of infection. Schauer added that MMR vaccine has been continually monitored for safety and efficacy since it was first administered more than 50 years ago. To date, more than 575 million doses of the vaccine has been administered globally. "We want parents to feel reassured that this is a vaccine that can provide protection," she said. "Your grandparents may have received this, then your parents, and now it's time to make sure that your children are protected or that you are protected.' The MMR vaccine is available at area doctor's offices or clinics, local health departments, and some local pharmacies. Locate vaccine providers near you using If you do not have health insurance, or your insurance may not cover vaccines, the state's Vaccines for Children and Vaccines for Adults provides free vaccines. If you are unsure of your vaccine history, you can check it on the Wisconsin Immunization Registry. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What's the risk of measles in Wisconsin in 2025?
