Ashley Swanson, associate professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said hospital mergers — on average — increase prices, while having a negligible effect on patient care.
“It seems like they primarily increase prices when the merging hospitals are located close to one another,” she said. “But there is some relatively new evidence suggesting that cross-market mergers can sometimes increase prices as well.”
The rate at which Wisconsin’s “prime working age” adults are either working or looking for work is among the best in the country, according to a recent report from the University of Wisconsin-Extension.
“It speaks a lot to our work ethic,” said Matt Kures, the report’s author and a community economic development specialist for UW-Extension. “Traditionally, we have had high participation rates and I think that’s just kind of ingrained in us.”
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the average cost of infant care in Wisconsin is $12,567 annually, or $1,047 per month. Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at UW-Madison, said women in the workforce feel the effects of that most.
“Moms tend to carry the burden of care disproportionately in families,” she said. “The years before the kid goes to school … are really expensive years to work.“
Barriers to voting disproportionately affect certain racial groups, according to research from UW-Madison journalism and mass communications professor Michael Wagner.
Interview with Adam D’Angelo, a Ph.D student at UW-Madison, and Scott Craven, emeritus UW-Extension Wildlife Ecologist.
Technological changes and attacks on media have eroded public trust in journalism and the news media. Sue Robinson, a UW-Madison journalism professor, joins us to share her new book on how journalists can better engage their communities and build trust with their audiences.
We talk about why First Republic Bank was seized by regulators, whether we’re in the middle of a larger banking crisis, and what individuals should know going forward. Interview with J. Michael Collins, associate professor of public affairs and consumer science at UW-Madison, where he directs the Center for Financial Security.
Quoted: “I feel like we hear about new places that have PFAS every day,” said Christy Remucal, a University of Wisconsin-Madison associate professor of engineering who studies the chemicals and did not participate in the study.
Written by Allie Boldt, Legal Research Director for the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Interview with Dr. Patrick Remington, a professor emeritus in the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, about the results of a new review of 107 other studies, and its conclusions about whether low-level alcohol drinking extended people’s lives.
“The pandemic has and likely will continue to disproportionately impact Black birthing people and their families,” said Dr. Tiffany Green, co-chair of the Black Maternal and Child Health Alliance of Dane County and an associate professor at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
The Walt Disney Company is suing Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, accusing his administration of government retaliation for their criticism of his policies. Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and legal studies at UW-Madison, joins us to break down the case and explore what’s at stake.
Christine Whelan, a consumer science professor at UW-Madison, helps us with suggestions for how we can de-clutter and off-load belongings, while inflation may be looming over any thoughts of restocking or replacing items.
David O’Connor, who studies primate genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the studies tackle deep questions.
“It’s just the wonder of biology, how we are so similar and dissimilar to all the things around us,” said O’Connor, who wasn’t involved in the research. “It’s the sort of thing that reminds me why it’s cool to be a biologist.”
Both the study and the statements at the congressional hearing don’t give the full picture, said Steve Vavrus, assistant director at the Center for Climatic Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the interim state climatologist.
As a clinical professor at the UW-Madison School of Nursing, (Gina) Bryan said she also sees many parts of the state struggle to attract psychiatric advanced practice nurse graduates, who go instead to Minnesota or Iowa where they can work independently. “Why would our students stay here and practice?” she said.
Bunmi Kumapayi, a UW Health nurse practitioner who has treated urologic conditions for more than 20 years, said the doctor she collaborates with allows her to work very independently. But for many newer advanced practice nurses around the state, that is not the case, she said.
Noted: University of Wisconsin-Madison political science and law professor Howard Schweber said if Kaul’s lawsuit is successful, the 20-week abortion law would go back into effect along with the waiting periods and mandatory ultrasound requirements.
Dr. Greg DeMuri, a pediatric infectious disease doctor at UW Health, also spoke in favor of eliminating the mandate, saying that “almost the entire population has some form of immunity to COVID, whether it’s the vaccine or natural infection.” The number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 are now “very, very low,” he said, adding that complications are “very rare.”
It’s also not clear that social media use contributes to young people’s emotional struggles, said Heather Kerkorian, who researches the effects of media on children’s development and family interactions at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“If we look at individual kids, some kids might benefit a lot from social media, some might be harmed by social media and most of them are not affected much,” Kerkorian said.
Laura Dresser, associate director of the COWS economic think tank at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said another approach could be addressing the issues that prevent people from joining the workforce, like child care, transportation and mental health.
“The central question is: Do we support workers and … (build a) system that supports their engagement in the labor market, and, therefore, economic development in our communities? Or do we try and pretend that there’s just a lot of lazy people?” Dresser asked.
“The reality is that most traffickers groom their trafficking victims… it could even be someone that someone knows for a while in terms of the dynamic,” said Dr. Sara McKinnon, an associate professor in rhetoric, politics and culture at UW-Madison.
Jenny Higgins, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Collaborative for Reproductive Equity and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology, said the biggest takeaway from the report was that these declines were not balanced out by increases in the number of abortions happening in states where abortion access is less restricted.
“One of the things that people had expected after Dobbs was that states like California would get an influx of people … states with relatively few restrictions,” Higgins said. “What the #WeCount report shows is that we haven’t seen the flooding into those states.”
Greg Nemet continues the tradition of environmental scholarship at the University of Wisconsin–Madison through the La Follette School of Public Affairs, studying energy, climate change and public policy. He says despite a gloomy international report, the capacity to tackle problems has never been greater:
“If there were ever a time to have optimism about our collective capacity and will to address climate change, this is it. This idea was threaded through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which emphasized that we can still effect transformational change that could stave off the worst possible outcomes and lead to a sustainable, equitable world. Globally, we’ve made considerable progress in a broad range of technologies that are making the transition to a low-carbon economy more affordable and feasible than ever.”
Nancy Wong, a consumer psychologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, sees the irony in trying to make money with an app for free stuff.
“As a marketer, I just find that evolution very interesting. It was borne out of a desire to escape the marketplace, but then they find themselves coming back to the marketplace,” she said. “It’s almost a victim of its own popularity.”
A survey of Wisconsin citizens shows the state’s political divides are disrupting social relationships and personal bonds. Michael Wagner, a UW-Madison journalism professor, said the center embarked on this research to understand problems of a divided state to help articulate a solution. Its report shows results of what are described as “civic fractures.”
Quoted: “The question that economists are debating right now is the degree of the downturn and when will it hit,” said Steven Deller, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In December, University of Wisconsin-Madison Economist Alan Sorensen told Wisconsin Public Radio that mergers may give hospitals more leverage in negotiations with insurance companies.
“Those negotiations are enormously important for the bottom lines of these companies,” Sorensen said at the time. “A lot of times what’s driving the mergers is that (hospital systems) feel like if they’re bigger, they’ll do better in those negotiations, they’ll have more bargaining power, they’ll be more indispensable to the insurance company.”
The forms are meant to stay in the provider’s office, as with other medical evaluation forms a patient might fill out during an exam, said David Bernhardt, a UW Health Kids general pediatrician, sports medicine physician at UW Health and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“The form is not designed to go back to the school, so the history and the physical exam form are meant as a framework to guide the provider in getting information in an efficient way,” he said.
“It’s really dynamic. We can expect that there will be mutations that pop up and a lot of them won’t be very successful at being transmitted and maintained in populations of animals,” Thomas Yuill, a professor emeritus of pathobiological science, forest and wildlife biology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Thousands of clinical trials underway in Wisconsin require thousands of volunteers – people whose ailments, desire for compensation or altruism motivate them to take part in medical research. We talk with Betsy Nugent, the director of clinical research for the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.
The University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute has released its new county health rankings. We speak with Sheri Johnson, the institute’s director about the variables that produce the healthiest communities.
The UW System Board of Regents voted last week to raise tuition prices by an average of 4.9% (or $404) across all 13 universities and 26 campuses in Wisconsin. Room and board rates will increase too, by an average of 3.5%, resulting in an overall 4.2% (or $706) increase for all in-state students.
Written by Gregory Nemet, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s La Follette School of Public Affairs.
The Field Day Lab in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research is creating online video games to be used as learning tools for students. We talk to Sarah Gagnon, creative director for the Field Day Lab in the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the UW–Madison School of Education, about their latest games and how they work.
Quoted: Both referendums to change the state’s bail policies passed with nearly 70% in favor. Howard Schweber, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the changes take effect right away.
“There will need to be a drafting of a formal version of the rules we put in the legislative record, but there’s no reason not to take much time at all,” Schweber said.
It’s officially spring, and the robins are out. So are many other Wisconsin birds. Stanley Temple, an ornithologist and professor emeritus in conservation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tells us what species we can expect to see this season.
Quoted: What if there were a dispute over the Legislature’s handling of an impeachment? Then the Wisconsin Supreme Court would decide, as it has in other states, said Miriam Seifter, a University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School professor.
“An impeachment that immediately follows a free and fair election is not a sign of a healthy democracy,” Seifter said. “Absent allegations of corruption or crime, impeaching a judge who just won a resounding electoral victory would show a troubling disregard for the will of the voters.”
Quoted: While nearly unheard of, Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said the old norms of how Wisconsin government operates have fallen away since former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation, followed by the recall election in 2011.
“The series of steps both parties — but especially Republicans — have taken shows the Legislature plays hardball,” Burden said. “Republicans, in their majority for the last 12 years, have not been shy about exploring what tools are available to them and trying to push them as far as possible.”
“This race was driven by the abortion issue more than anything else,” said UW-Madison political science professor Barry Burden. “And that works to the Democrats’ advantage because there are more pro-choice voters than pro-life voters.”
Quoted: “Housing right now is unlike 2008, when we overstimulated housing demand, and that drove up housing prices. Now, housing is expensive because there’s an inadequate supply,” said Kurt Paulsen, professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Quoted: Lawmakers can use the results to gauge public opinion on an issue and inform policy decisions, according to state documents. However, referendums have been increasingly used by both political parties, particularly with non-partisan spring elections, which don’t usually generate great voter turnout, said Barry Burden, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“These elections just don’t generate the same level of media coverage or public discussion so these gimmicks are one way to get the attention of the voter,” Burden said. “The effect on overall turnout probably won’t be great, but in Wisconsin, most people assume elections are going to be close, so even a change in the balance of things by a percentage point or two could tip the race and tip the balance of the Supreme Court itself.”
Quoted: While nearly unheard of, Barry Burden, director of the Elections Research Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said the old norms of how Wisconsin government operates have fallen away since Former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10 legislation followed by the recall election in 2011.
“The series of steps both parties — but especially Republicans have taken — shows the Legislature plays hardball,” Burden said. “Republicans, in their majority for the last 12 years, have not been shy about exploring what tools are available to them and trying to push them as far as possible.”
There’s also a “real possibility,” said UW-Madison professor and Elections Research Center director Barry Burden in a recent interview, that the court will be involved in settling the outcome of the 2024 presidential election in this swing state.
The leader of the social media and adolescent research team at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, Dr. Megan Moreno, says conversations about social media best practices need to include teenagers.
The Senate voted last week to repeal the authorizations for the use of military force in Iraq, and President Biden has indicated he would sign it. We talk to John Hall, a U.S. military policy expert and associate pofessor of U.S. military history at UW-Madison, about what the repeal would mean and how these authorizations work.
The UW-Madison Center for Communication and Civic Renewal released a new survey measuring political divides and common ground in Wisconsin. We talk to the Mike Wagner, a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the group’s faculty director, about the results and the path forward.
“Under the law, you’re not supposed to use cash to keep people detained. Cash bond is always supposed to be just a way of making sure people are complying with the rules to decide if they actually are guilty or not,” said Cecelia Klingele, a professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School. “The idea is if you have money, you get to be out pending release, and if you don’t have money, you’re stuck, and so we should set high bonds that people can’t meet. In fact, under existing law — U.S. and state law — you have to set reasonable bonds in amounts that people are expected to be able to pay. People are supposed to be out pending release. And we use conditions to keep everyone safe, not money, which has disparate effects on different people.”
The growing research into PFAs contamination finds sources in everyday consumer goods like toilet paper and traces PFAs into Green Bay and the Great Lakes. We talk to Christy Remucal, is an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and the director of the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory at UW-Madison, about where we’re finding PFAs in Wisconsin’s waters.
When it comes to adjusting for warmer water, some fish are defying expectations. We talk to Olaf Jensen, an associate professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Center for Limnology at UW-Madison.
“Ads are rarely pulled in races even when they’re really controversial,” said Michael Wagner, a University of Wisconsin-Madison journalism professor who directs the school’s Center for Communication and Civic Renewal.
“It’s not common for a candidate to ask for an ad to get pulled. But it’s uncommon for it to happen in a race,” Wagner said.
Barry Burden, director of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Elections Research Center, attributed Protasiewicz’s fundraising haul, in part, to a national network of donors Democrats have had better success than Republicans in creating in recent years.
“Democrats have generally built up more national infrastructure to promote fundraising for candidates across the country,” Burden said.
Two new reports from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention detail infant and maternal mortality rates in the U.S. We talk with Tiffany Green, a reproductive health expert and assistant professor in the Departments of Population Health Sciences and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, about what needs to be done to save the lives of mothers and their babies.
Noted: A report from University of Wisconsin-Extension found that while the number of veterans in Wisconsin is declining, spending on veteran services by the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration, or VA, is increasing.
Steven Deller, a professor of applied and agricultural economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and author of the report, said those funds return federal tax dollars to the state and inject money into local economies.
“We tend to lose money to Washington,” Deller said. “Making sure that the veterans that are in the state are taking full advantage of all the benefits that are offered to them is one way of getting some of that money back into the state.”
Quoted: On the other side of the debate is Mark Seidenberg, a psychology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, one of the leading scientists cited by advocates for the science of reading. Seidenberg said there is a large volume of research that sheds light on how children learn to read and that supports the science of reading approach.
Can using such approaches raise the overall success of kids in becoming readers? “I think it’s huge,” Seidenberg said in an interview.
“There’s two parts to the discussion about bail in Wisconsin,” University of Wisconsin-Madison law professor Adam Stevenson said. “One is what, if any, cash is required for release and the other is what conditions or rules do folks have to follow when they are out in the community on bail.”
Referendums are increasingly being used by both political parties, particularly with nonpartisan spring elections, which don’t usually generate great voter turnout, said Barry Burden, a University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor.
“These elections just don’t generate the same level of media coverage or public discussion so these gimmicks are one way to get the attention of the voter,” Burden said. “The effect on overall turnout probably won’t be great, but in Wisconsin, most people assume elections are going to be close, so even a change in the balance of things by a percentage point or two could tip the race and tip the balance of the Supreme Court itself.”
Quoted: Howard Schweber, a professor of political science and law at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Kelly’s connections send a message to conservative voters and groups.
“He has all of that background that, without him having to say anything, tells those interests that he is their guy,” Schweber said. “And in a way that frees him to be able to afford to run as a traditional conservative or even traditional judge … trusting that those more ideological voters will understand that this is just advertising.”
Quoted: “There seems to be an intense interest on the ideological left, especially among various pro-choice groups, to focus on this race,” said Michael Wagner, who studies elections and media at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ozaukee County ranks the healthiest in Wisconsin and Menominee is the least healthy county in the state, according to new data from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute released on Wednesday, March 29.
Written by Manuel P. Teodoro, an associate professor at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Teodoro studies water sector management, regulation, and finance.
University of Wisconsin–Madison researcher and assistant professor Nick Buttrick studies the psychological relationship that millions of Americans have with their guns. Buttrick’s research builds on the historical record to show that in the U.S.—the only country with more civilian firearms than people—white Southerners started cultivating the tradition of the home arsenal immediately after the Civil War because of insecurities and racial fears. During the rest of the 19th century, those anxieties metamorphosized into a fetishization of the firearm to the point that, in the present day, gun owners view their weapons as adding meaning and a sense of purpose to their lives.
Scientific American spoke with Buttrick about the psychological roots of the gun culture that has contributed to the more than 100 mass shootings that have occurred in the U.S. so far this year.
Robert Yablon and Ryan Owens, a University of Wisconsin-Madison law professors, and UW-Madison professor and Elections Research Center director Barry Burden are quoted.
