Area long-term care providers to get money back

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EAU CLAIRE - Long-term care providers in western Wisconsin are about to get six-million dollars that a former administrator never paid to them before going out of business.

Eau Claire County Circuit Judge Michael Schumacher has allowed the state to loan the six-million to a court-ordered receiver that’s handling obligations of the former Community Health Partnership. The Eau Claire group administered long-term care to the elderly under Wisconsin’s Family Care program, which is designed to keep lower-income seniors from going to nursing homes. But the group fell behind on its payments – and it went out of business at the end of last year.

Thomas Cook, who heads a rehab trade group, says the court action will resolve financial concerns for the long-term care providers he represents. He says many had to borrow money to keep paying their employees. Cook said the state’s new health secretary, Kitty Rhoades, played a role in resolving the matter.

The old Community Health Partnership administered the Family Care program for about 27-hundred recipients in Eau Claire, Chippewa, Dunn, Saint Croix, and Pierce counties. A new administrative firm took over on January first, with a goal of running a more financially-sustainable service.

Tags: western wisconsin, news, wisconsin, health