NorthLakes Community Clinic in Eau Claire Hosts Senator Baldwin

EAU CLAIRE, Wis (WCFW) – NorthLakes Community Clinic in Eau Claire hosted U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D – Wis.) for a roundtable on the challenges facing the healthcare field.

The visit was part of Senator Baldwin’s “Fighting for Wisconsin Families” tour as she travels across the state discussing a wide range of topics affecting residents. In addition to discussing persistent healthcare challenges in the Chippewa Valley, Senator Baldwin also discussed economic issues in Superior, agricultural issues in Cochrane, and surveyed the recent flood damage in Milwaukee.

During the roundtable at NorthLakes Community Clinic, local providers shared concerns about their patients not seeking the healthcare they need because of losing access to Medicaid. They say those patients will not be able to manage their chronic issues until they become more severe and more expensive to address.

The providers also expressed concerns over how overburdened the remaining area hospitals have become since the HSHS closures, particularly labor and delivery services. While plans for new hospitals in the area are in development, federal funding cuts could hamper their ability to operate effectively and lead to higher costs for everyone.

“I think about what happens when hospitals have to treat somebody who comes in in an emergency but has no healthcare,” said Senator Baldwin. “Those costs get shifted to us, people who have private health insurance.”

Providers from NorthLakes Community Clinic further spoke about their proactive efforts to help patients who do qualify for Medicaid deal with additional technical hurdles to receive coverage. Senator Baldwin also referenced a program through the affordable care act called healthcare navigators. The program seeks to help residents determine what they qualify for and what coverage best suits them, but recent federal funding cuts have limited that program as well.

“These navigators helped you pick the right plan and helped you fill out the paperwork to become eligible,” said Senator Baldwin. “Donald Trump has largely defunded those, and so now we only have community entities like NorthLakes that have the will and the way to help people do that. But those services to help people navigate a complex landscape are less available now because of Donald Trump and the policies he’s pushed.”