Milwaukee County Board Adopts Clancy Proposal to Expand Healthcare Access for Employees

MILWAUKEE – Today, Thursday, December 21, 2023, the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution, proposed by Supervisor Ryan Clancy, aimed at enhancing healthcare access for Milwaukee County employees. The resolution authorizes and directs the Department of Human Resources to create a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) which would provide travel benefits to reimburse County employees traveling out of state to receive medical services. Supervisors Ryan Clancy, Caroline Gómez-Tom, Shawn Rolland, and Juan Miguel Martinez made the following statements:

“Abortion care is a human right. It is legal and happening in Wisconsin right now. We need to do whatever we can to codify that right and to ensure access to it regardless of the status of judicial opinions and legislation,” said Supervisor Clancy. “The Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) is designed to alleviate financial burdens and promote equity in healthcare access.”

“Access to health care, especially for people who may not have access to local procedures, providers, or medicines to address ongoing chronic health issues, should be a right for all. To start, the Milwaukee County Board can provide this access to Milwaukee County staff. This reimbursement account is meant to aid people trying to proactively address health concerns they cannot access in Milwaukee County or in the state. I hope it is a rare need since we have high-quality local, health care, but I am glad for us to cover the need when that local care does not meet the mark for people with ongoing health challenges,” said Supervisor Gómez-Tom

“This is yet another example of Milwaukee County’s commitment to being an exceptional place for women and men to grow a career. Many of us know friends and neighbors who had to travel out of state – to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, the Cleveland Clinic or another facility – to seek medical treatment that they simply could not access in Wisconsin. Now, if our talented staff is told that they need to travel out-of-state to get the medical treatment they need, they know that Milwaukee County has their back,” said Supervisor Rolland.

“I am very happy to see a step in the right direction from the board. This is an incentive that says we are looking to take care of our employees at the County and that healthcare matters to us,” said Supervisor Martinez.

The resolution acknowledges the disproportionate impact of travel expenses on marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), low-income communities, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Key provisions of the resolution include eligibility criteria for employees, spouses, and dependents, as well as details on reimbursable expenses such as mileage and lodging. The resolution also mandates communication of this benefit to eligible employees and requires a report on its implementation and utilization by July 2024.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.