Legislature acts on health care, PPP tax policy as February floor period nears

The State Capitol was active this week – despite the pandemic – with various legislative committees holding public hearings and votes on bills that may be placed on next week’s State Senate and State Assembly floor calendars. Two pertinent initiatives from that legislative flurry include Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers and Eliminating State Tax on Forgivable PPP Loans.

Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs): Passing unanimously in the State Assembly last session but stalling in the Senate, Senate Bill 3/Assembly Bill 7 regulates companies that administer and manage prescription drug benefits, generally on behalf of health insurers. This Wisconsin Medical Society-supported legislation includes a provision prohibiting “gag clauses” that prevent pharmacists from informing patients about lower-cost options for prescription drugs. The bills also prevent a PBM from charging the patient a copay amount that is more than the cash price for a drug and requires PBMs to be licensed by the state’s Officer of the Commissioner of Insurance, among other provisions. Both bills received approval in separate committees earlier today (Feb. 11) and are expected to get full Senate and Assembly votes next week.

Eliminating State Tax on Forgivable PPP Loans: Last year’s federal CARES Act responding to the COVID-19 pandemic included the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), allowing businesses such as health care clinics to maintain their workforce by granting loans that would be forgiven if used for appropriate payroll and non-payroll expenses. While Congressional intent seemed to indicate that those forgiven PPP loans would not face federal taxation, an IRS Revenue Ruling said otherwise – prompting Congress to pass another law last December that clarified its intent and eliminated the chance of federal taxes.

Now the state legislature is following Congress’s lead. On Wednesday (Feb. 10), the state’s Joint Committee on Finance amended Assembly Bill 2 to exempt forgiven PPP loans from state taxation – a position the Society called for in this coalition letter sent to the Finance Committee before Wednesday’s vote. The Assembly will likely take up AB 2 during next week’s floor session.

Meanwhile, the Stop the COVID Spread! Coalition released its latest statewide public service announcement this week, “The Fight’s Not Over Yet.” As vaccinations continue to get into the arms of Wisconsinites and the public becomes more optimistic about the future, it’s still important that the public continues to utilize the other tools that can help slow the spread of COVID-19: wearing masks, washing hands and maintaining social distancing. The ad campaign will run on television statewide while coalition members are utilizing their social media accounts to share the message (the Society’s tweet is here, for example).

Contact Society Chief Policy & Advocacy Officer Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

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Society, other physician leaders join with AG’s call for crisis mental health reform

The Wisconsin Medical Society (Society) and leaders from the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association (WPA) and Wisconsin Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (WACEP) joined with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, other government entities and law enforcement this afternoon to recommend reforms to the state’s emergency detention process and ways to make behavior health services more available. The coalition announced the recommendations in a press conference this afternoon.

The coalition’s important recommendations fall along two goals: diverting a larger share of cases away from emergency detention, and improving emergency detention process and capacity when a crisis episode requires inpatient treatment. The recommendations on the first goal include increasing the number of regional crisis stabilization facilities in the state and creating dedicated regional hubs specializing in psychiatric emergency assessment and triage through in-person and telehealth means. To help achieve the second goal, the coalition recommends moving away from a single-site longer-term involuntary commitment model (using the Winnebago Mental Health Institute) and instead investing in the creation of short-term, high acuity inpatient psychiatric beds in focused areas of need around the state.

“Physicians and law enforcement are on the front lines in responding to people experiencing a mental health crisis,” Society Board Chair Jerry Halverson, MD, said. “The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic shine an even greater light on the need for these improvements, and we ask our state government policymakers to prioritize and help implement these recommendations as soon as possible.”

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced earlier this week that his 2021-23 biennial budget proposal will include $150 million to help fund preventative services, regional crisis centers and emergency detention alternatives such as rapid response mental health teams. While the Governor’s funding is tied to Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act – an avenue the Society supports but legislative Republicans oppose – the Society believes these improvements should be prioritized regardless of the funding source.

Contact Mark Grapentine, JD for more information.

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Next SARS-CoV-2 CME Feb. 17: Mutations, immunity duration and transmissibility after vaccine, effect of vaccine on testing for the virus

David O’Connor, PhD, presents Mutations, immunity duration and transmissibility after vaccine, effect of vaccine on testing for the virus as the next session in the Wisconsin Medical Society’s SARS-CoV-2 CME Town Hall Series.* 

O’Connor is a UW Medical Foundation Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and chair of the Global Infectious Diseases division of the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center.

This live webinar series is free for Wisconsin Medical Society members, but registration is required to attend.

Session topics and schedule for the remaining live presentations are listed below. All live presentations will be held from 12:15 – 12:45 p.m. To register for the entire series, click here.

February 17: SARS CoV-2 mutations, immunity duration and transmissibility after vaccine, effect of vaccine on testing for the virus
February 24: Preventing SARS-CoV-2 in Systems
March 3: SARS CoV-2 infections in children and adolescents and pathophysiology of unusual effects of the virus

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

*This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 credit™.

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Settlers bank to assist physicians and clinics with SBA/PPP application process

Settlers bank is a local Wisconsin business focused on serving the needs of physicians and clinics throughout the state. As part of that mission, Settlers bank will assist with questions regarding the SBA/PPP loan application process – and is extending that service to physicians and clinics regardless of whether or not they are a current client.

If a physician or clinic decides to use Settlers bank for the SBA/PPP loan application process, all that is required is to open an operating account and have a brief conversation about their overall banking needs. Settlers bank also works closely with CPAs to help navigate tax implications as well as financial modeling.

Settlers bank offers a one-call approach to the medical community because they understand that now more than ever time is of the essence. 

• Contact a participating lender for details regarding PPP Second Draw Loans and guidelines. Visit settlerswi.com for more information.
• Second Draw PPP Loans are available through March 31, 2021 to borrowers that previously received a First Draw PPP loan.
• Click here for the application. (Functions best in Google Chrome browser.)
• Second Draw PPP Loans are generally subject to the same terms, conditions and requirements as First Draw PPP Loans.
• Second Draw PPP Loans are only eligible for borrowers with 300 employees or less with maximum loan amount of $2 million.
• Second Draw PPP Loan applicants must have experienced a revenue reduction of 25% (or greater) in same calendar quarter in 2020 relative to 2019.

Anne Fink, CFP® is a Private Banker specializing in working with physicians. To get started, contact Anne at [email protected] or 608.842.5025. To learn more about Settlers bank, click here.

Settlers bank is MEMBER FDIC.

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Medical Society of Milwaukee County-Foundation hosting Calling All Heroes event

Calling All Heroes is a special online celebration supporting the Medical Society of Milwaukee County (MSMC) Foundation’s mission of empowering physicians and promoting health for individuals, families and entire communities. This event includes an online awards ceremony to celebrate the 2020 Award Winners, an online auction and a special Heroes of COVID campaign!

Online Award Celebration - Thursday, March 18, 2021 | 6:00 PM
Ticketed guests have access to the Thursday night virtual celebration to join in congratulating the 2020 award recipients, announced by MSMC Leadership during this ‘live’ award ceremony on Zoom. Also included is a gift box of goodies shipped to registrants’ homes to enjoy during this online ceremony, which includes local Milwaukee treats and a coffee mug.

Heroes of COVID - Monday, February 1 - Thursday, March 18, 2021
Please help MSMC show gratitude to our community members, colleagues, family and friends who have shown remarkable courage over the last year. With your donation of $25 or more, your named Hero (or Heroes!) of COVID will receive a limited-edition enamel pin, along with a letter of thanks on behalf of MSMC and yourself, as the nominee.

Online Auction - Monday, February 1 - Thursday, March 18, 2021
The Calling All Heroes Online Auction opens on Monday, February 1, and runs through Thursday, March 18 at 8:00 p.m. As a special part of the online celebration, anyone can participate – no ticket necessary! Bid on a variety of items ranging from local events to a stay in Las Vegas!

More information and registration is available on the MSMC website.

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WMJ seeks reviewers

The Wisconsin Medical Journal (WMJ) received a record number of submissions in 2020 and is now seeking volunteers to add to its pool of highly qualified reviewers. Peer reviews provide helpful suggestions to authors on how to improve the quality of their manuscript and ensure that high-quality articles are published.

Reviewers are sought for all medical specialties, with particular demand for subject matter experts in the areas of oncology and infectious disease. Reviewers are invited to review manuscripts electronically and asked to submit reviews within 3 weeks. Guidelines are available online.

Those interested in serving as a reviewer should register online and email [email protected] with any questions.

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Employee handbook creation for WisMed Assure clients

Insurance renewals have been finalized and employees have been updated. So, what’s next? The perfect answer is to focus on Employee Handbooks for 2021.

During February each year, the WisMed Assure team offers their clients an Employee Handbook creation and editing service. This is provided at no additional cost as part of serving their and employees. The employee handbooks are created using the HR360 site, which was originally created by a law firm to help with compliance and HR rules and laws. 

WisMed Assure employee benefits clients get access to this site and all of the HR support articles and tools as well. There’s no doubt 2020 was hectic for everyone, so please make time to take advantage of this free service!

To take advantage of this Employee Handbook service, please just email Chris Noffke to setup a time to work on this together. Please plan for a 45-minute session and expect to have an employee handbook with all the key items at the end. In addition, the handbook comes as a word document for easy updating in the future. 

Please contact Chris Noffke at 608.442.3734 with any questions.

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