It's Time to Fix the Well Woman Program!
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The Wisconsin Well Women Program (WWWP) provides health screening services to low-income women with little or no health insurance coverage (up to 250% FPL). This includes mammograms and screenings for cervical cancer. As part of the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the WWWP receives federal funds as well as state funding. Women diagnosed through the program automatically qualify for Well Woman Medicaid so that they may begin treatment as soon as possible.
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The Wisconsin Alliance for Women's Health along with partners like the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition and the Susan G. Komen Wisconsin chapter are committed to making sure that women throughout our state have access to the potentially lifesaving screenings that the WWWP is tasked with providing. Together with other advocacy organizations and individuals, we fought back against a proposal in 2013 to drastically restructure the WWWP.
Despite overwhelming opposition, the Department of Health Services under Governor Walker went ahead and significantly reduce the scope of the WWWP. And since the 2015 programmatic changes to the WWWP, the number of women served has dramatically fallen and problems with the new structure have emerged. There is no evidence this restructuring is working to ensure access to life-saving health care for women. In fact, the data available indicates the WWWP is serving less than one-half of the women it served prior to the restructuring and there is no evidence women who have left the program are receiving health care services elsewhere.
As of the fall of 2019, we remain infuriated that many Wisconsin women may be falling through the cracks of care and services because of this unnecessary change to a successful program made in 2015.
Take action now to encourage our state leaders to address the persistent concerns with the WWWP and to ensure every Wisconsin woman who needs is, is able to access cancer screening and treatment!
Despite overwhelming opposition, the Department of Health Services under Governor Walker went ahead and significantly reduce the scope of the WWWP. And since the 2015 programmatic changes to the WWWP, the number of women served has dramatically fallen and problems with the new structure have emerged. There is no evidence this restructuring is working to ensure access to life-saving health care for women. In fact, the data available indicates the WWWP is serving less than one-half of the women it served prior to the restructuring and there is no evidence women who have left the program are receiving health care services elsewhere.
As of the fall of 2019, we remain infuriated that many Wisconsin women may be falling through the cracks of care and services because of this unnecessary change to a successful program made in 2015.
Take action now to encourage our state leaders to address the persistent concerns with the WWWP and to ensure every Wisconsin woman who needs is, is able to access cancer screening and treatment!
Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition WWWP Survey
In 2017, the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition (WBCC) completed a survey of all 14 Wisconsin Well Women Program Coordinators in Wisconsin. In a letter to the Department of Health Services, the WBCC outlined the survey results, which point to ongoing problems with the WWWP. The WBCC also reached out to partners in advocacy in order to give them the opportunity to express their shared concerns for the women served by this program.
Data from this survey was collected by surveying all 14 WWWP coordinators in Wisconsin.
In 2017, the Wisconsin Breast Cancer Coalition (WBCC) completed a survey of all 14 Wisconsin Well Women Program Coordinators in Wisconsin. In a letter to the Department of Health Services, the WBCC outlined the survey results, which point to ongoing problems with the WWWP. The WBCC also reached out to partners in advocacy in order to give them the opportunity to express their shared concerns for the women served by this program.
Data from this survey was collected by surveying all 14 WWWP coordinators in Wisconsin.
- 64% of coordinators mentioned issues with billing. This included women receiving bills when they shouldn’t, and bills going into collection
- 54% of coordinators are serving a county that has zero providers
- 71% of coordinators would support increasing the provider network to serve more women
- 64% of coordinators believe the women they serve have been negatively impacted by the program changes
- 71% of coordinators want more statewide outreach, or more resources to do outreach
- 36% of coordinators have observed women dropping out of the program for reasons other than BadgerCare and ACA expansion
- And finally, 36% of coordinators observed women re-enrolling in the program due to an increase in ACA premiums
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