Author: Sam Buisman

Wisconsin will give $40 million in direct payments to hospitals to cover COVID-19 losses.

According to a press release from the Office of the Governor, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services will give out a total of $40 million to hospitals around the state to offset revenue losses experienced during the coronavirus pandemic. The DHS will dole out this money on a comparative basis, based on how a hospital's revenue stacks up to others in the state.

Through a press release, DHS Secretary-designee Andrea Palm described this assistance as crucial to maintaining public health in Wisconsin.

“The work of Wisconsin's hospitals is life-saving work, whether during a pandemic or not,” wrote Palm. “But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we know hospitals are stretched thin. This funding will help alleviate the financial strain felt by these hospitals and make it possible for them to continue their essential work.”

This $40 million fund is sourced from the $1.17 billion in federal funding Wisconsin received from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly referred to as the CARES Act. Wisconsin has also used CARES Act funding to purchase COVID-19 testing kits, maintain its mobile testing sites, fund state food banks, and provide grants to local farmers alongside many other applications.

The DHS plans to begin making payments by the second week of July.

According to the DHS, there have been 21,926 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, 896 of which have been in Dane County.