Protesters voiced concerns over potential cuts to the federal health program.
Author Archives: Addie Costello / Wisconsin Watch and WPR
Addie Costello is WPR’s 2024-2025 Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow embedded in the Wisconsin Watch newsroom. Her reporting has been published by Marketplace, USA TODAY, the Austin American-Statesman, public radio stations across Texas and several publications in her home state of Nebraska. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.
Posted inNews about Wisconsin Watch
How tips shape our health care reporting
Many of our investigations started with personal stories.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Wisconsin residents organize in fight to keep county nursing homes public
Portage County residents have fought the sale of their public nursing home for years. Now they’re connecting with advocates across the state to resist a privatization wave.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
‘We own it. It’s our place.’ Worsened care feared as counties privatize their nursing homes
County nursing homes tend to offer better care, but 22 Wisconsin counties have sold or closed them over three decades.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Medicaid covers 1.2 million in Wisconsin. The election will determine its future
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris rarely mention Medicaid on the presidential campaign trail, but their records paint dramatically different possibilities for the program after November.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
In surprise Sauk County visit, FTC Chair Lina Khan hears concerns about nursing home sale
Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan made a surprise visit to Baraboo, speaking at an event organized by Sauk County residents who sought to ratchet up pressure on state regulators to block the county’s sale of the nursing home it operates.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
How Milwaukee’s giant anti-poverty agency unraveled: weak controls, little oversight
What caused SDC’s unraveling? The results of a state audit launched just before its closing should fill in some details. Already clear is that past leaders significantly weakened internal financial controls with little outside scrutiny.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Why did SDC fail? Takeaways from our investigation of Milwaukee’s anti-poverty agency
Here’s what to know about the Social Development Commission’s troubled history and abrupt closing.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Wisconsin’s long-term care crisis: Staffing troubles, low Medicaid rates prompt closures
Assisted living has grown in popularity across Wisconsin and the country, offering aging residents and people with disabilities more independence in less institutionalized settings than traditional nursing homes. But providers continue to struggle.
Posted inForward, Government, Health & Welfare
Long-term care caught up in Wisconsin government’s battle over spending power
Tuesday’s constitutional amendment vote could affect the dynamics of Gov. Tony Evers’ tug of war with the Legislature over spending authority.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Worried about losing Medicaid access in Wisconsin? Here’s what to know
Here’s what to know about renewing Medicaid coverage, finding alternative plans if need be and avoiding insurance scams.
Posted inHealth & Welfare
Medicaid unwinding: 360,000 in Wisconsin lose coverage as eligibility checks resume
The federal government requires states each year to verify Medicaid recipients’ eligibility, but it paused the mandate early in the pandemic to help people maintain coverage. Verification resumed in June 2023 in Wisconsin, a process called unwinding.