1989 Wisconsin Act 31, Section
1118i, requires the Department of Health and Social Services to submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature a report on June 30 annually on the allocation and expenditure of funds for services for homeless individuals. Attached is the Department's fourth annual report.
Departmental staff are available if you have any questions or require any additional information.
Sincerely,
richard W. Lorang
Acting Secretary, DHSS
Referred to committee on Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Madison
July 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Pursuant to the requirements of section 153.20, Wis. Stats., we are pleased to submit to the Governor and the Legislature Uncompensated Health Care, Wisconsin Hospitals, FY 1994. This report, prepared by the Office of Health Care Information, sets forth the total charges for charity care, bad debt, and total uncompensated health care for hospital fiscal year 1994; the projected total charges for hospital fiscal year 1995; the number of patients receiving uncompensated health care for hospital fiscal year 1994; and the projected number of patients who will receive uncompensated health care in hospital fiscal year 1995.
The information contained in this report was obtained from data submitted by Wisconsin hospitals on their annual FY 1994 Hospital Uncompensated Health Care Plan and their annual FY 1994 Hospital Fiscal Survey.
Sincerely,
Josephine W. Musser
Commissioner of Insurance
Trudy A. Karlson, Ph.D.
Director, OHCI
Referred to committee on Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
Madison
July 6, 1995
TO: Charles R. Sanders
Assembly Chief Clerk
FROM: Josephine Musser
Commissioner of Insurance
DATE: July 6, 1995
RE: Governor's Task Force on Hospital and Academic Medical Center Costs
The Task Force has completed its work and has prepared the attached document for your review. The Task Force was active, creative and productive -- resulting in a set of recommendations for resolving the problems identified in the
1993 Wisconsin Act 447. The first part of the document is a policy brief, the second part is a more detailed Technical Report.
The Office is available to clarify the information in the report and to provide support as needed.
Referred to committee on Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Development
Madison
July 10, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
In accordance with s.
234.65(5), the Department of Development is required to provide a report addressing the effects of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority's (WHEDA) lending activities on the state's economic development.
I am respectfully submitting the attached WHEDA report for loans closed in 1994 in the manner provided in section 13.172(3), Wisconsin Statutes. If you have any questions concerning the report or would like to obtain copies, please contact Bev Haberman in our Division of Policy and Information at 608/266-5381.
Sincerely,
william J. Mccoshen
Secretary, DOD
Referred to committee on Small Business and Economic Development.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Social Services
Madison
July 12, 1995
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
As required by Chapter 252.04 (11) of the Wisconsin Statutes, we are pleased to provide the annual report on the statewide immunization program. Please distribute this report to the appropriate standing committees.
Sincerely,
Richard W. Lorang
Deputy Secretary, DHSS
Referred to committee on Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
July 25, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The department is pleased to submit the 1994 Annual Report on the Status of Bilingual-Bicultural Education programs, as required under s.
115.996, Wisconsin Statutes.
The report provides a review of the state's administration and funding of bilingual education in Wisconsin and factors contributing to program expansion and the resulting continuously lower annual reimbursement rates for school districts. The number of pupils served from minority languages, the locations of the state-funded programs during the 1994 fiscal year (July 1, 1993, through June 30, 1994), and staff-related data are included in the report to inform those with responsibilities for ensuring the continued success of bilingual education programs in Wisconsin. I am confident that you will find the report informational, useful and of concern given the rising numbers of pupils to be served absent a corresponding increase in fiscal support by the state.
If you have questions on any aspect of this report, please contact Dr. William J. Erpenbach, director, divisonwide planning and process, 267-1072. He will be happy to discuss these with you at your convenience.
Sincerely,
John T. Benson
State Superintendent, DPI
Referred to committee on Education.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Agriculture, Trade and
Consumer Protection
Madison
July 28, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
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Pursuant to a nonstatutory provision under 1993 Wisconsin ACT 352, and in the manner provided under s.
13.172(2), Wisconsin Statutes, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection is pleased to submit a report to the Legislature on its study of the extent of predatory pricing of prescription drugs and unfair discrimination in drug pricing.
Approximately 29,000 separate wholesale drug purchase transactions were analyzed and compared as part of the study. Although no predatory pricing activities could be demonstrated, the study does conclude that some sellers may be engaged in drug price discrimination under s.
100.31, Wisconsin Statutes.
Please contact Paul Dingee, Trade Practices Section Chief, at 224-4925 if you have any questions regarding this report.
Sincerely,
alan T. tracy
Secretary, DATCP
Referred to committee on Consumer Affairs.
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Communications
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
June 28, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The report, Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp., Occurrence, Distribution and Levels in Wisconsin Waters, is being peer reviewed at this time. I will forward a final copy to you by August 31, 1995.
I appreciate your patience in this matter.
Sincerely,
George E. meyer
Secretary, DNR
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
July 10, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the investment practices of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, as requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. A second report, to be released later this summer, will examine the structure of the Investment Board's employe salary bonus plan and the process used to select investments for the Board's private placement portfolio.
On March 17, 1995, the Investment Board publicly disclosed that the State Investment Fund, which at the time had assets of approximately $6.8 billion, had incurred a $95 million loss. The loss resulted from the Investment Board's efforts to enhance earnings through the use of derivatives without an adequate understanding of the risk some investments presented. Staff contend they were misled in the purchase of a Mexican interest rate swap by an investment dealer, but a careful analysis of documents presented and a few simple calculations would have identified the risk in this transaction. Further, when this and another derivative investment experienced substantial losses, investment staff restructured the investment agreements in an effort to minimize loss, but in doing so put even more funds at risk.
Effective management oversight mechanisms might have prevented the loss, but the Investment Board's decentralized organizational structure and existing oversight mechanisms were inadequate to detect potential problem investments. We make recommendations for the Executive Director and the Board of Trustees to improve investments reporting and oversight.
Since the $95 million loss was disclosed, $1.4 billion has been withdrawn from the State Investment Fund's Local Government Investment Pool. The loss, together with local officials' concerns about the Fund's management and state officials' concerns about local governments' ability to leave the Fund without penalty, suggest that changes in the State Investment Funds are needed.
The loss in the State Investment Fund also raised questions about derivative holdings in the Wisconsin Retirement Funds. On May 30, the Investment Board disclosed a net unrealized loss of $93 million from approximately 200 derivatives in the Retirement Funds. However, this is not as significant as the loss in the State Investment Fund because it is a loss based on market prices, which regularly change, and because of the size of the Retirement Funds and the long-term nature of their investments.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the State of Wisconsin Investment Board's trustees and staff. A response from the Board's Executive Director is Appendix VI.
