Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill Friday that would streamline bureaucratic hurdles for Medicaid patients with chronic mental illness and create pilot programs for alternate mental health care.
The bill, authored by state Sens. Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, and Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, and state Reps. Mary Czaja, R-Irma, and Debra Kolste, D-Janesville, passed both houses of the state Legislature unanimously.
Walker praised the measure as a way to continue providing high quality mental health services for all Wisconsinites.
“Treating mental and physical health together is of great importance for Wisconsin citizens,” Walker said in a press release. “We want to break the stigma associated with mental health issues and assist people in getting the care they need by continuing to invest in resources which support a healthier and more prosperous Wisconsin.”
Under the law, the state Department of Health Services will create pilot programs to test new payment methods for Medicaid patients with chronic mental illness, help patients seek out care more easily and experiment with different methods of providing mental health services.
The measure also creates an online system to track open beds at adult and youth psychiatric facilities throughout the state. It will be available to all hospital emergency rooms in an effort to reduce wait times for mental health care.
After signing the bill at the Bellin Psychiatric Center in Allouez, Walker said the pilot programs could be expanded if they prove successful.
“If they’re able to provide better, coordinated, effective and efficient care in a more cost-effective way, we’re going to look to expand beyond just the pilots,” Walker said, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette.
The bill earned support from the Wisconsin Hospital Association and the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians, among other groups.
