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Resident urges help as private-pay rates rise at North Central Health Care facility
Summary
A Marathon County resident said private-pay rates at the North Central Health Care facility have jumped about 40% in two years to roughly $500 a day and asked the Health and Human Services Committee for guidance on relief and resources.
Jim Mesburg, a Marathon County resident whose wife is a private-pay resident at the county-supported North Central Health Care facility, told the Health and Human Services Committee that daily costs for private-pay residents have risen sharply and are causing financial hardship.
"My name is Jim Mesburg," he said during public comment, adding that rates on his floor have increased “close to a over a 40% increase” in the past two years and that costs are now “close to $500 a day” — which he calculated as about $15,000 a month or $175,000 a year. He said his family currently pays privately for care and asked the committee for help and guidance on resources or relief.
Committee members did not take formal action on the comment during the meeting, but members asked staff to forward the comment to the executive committee under a tri-county agreement so the topic can be discussed further. One member suggested scheduling an educational presentation for the committee about the facility and related placement policies.
The comment also compared local private-pay rates to publicly available averages for Wisconsin private-pay long-term care (the speaker referenced internet sources and an Alzheimer’s Association study showing averages in the $300–$375 range). The committee did not provide an immediate response or policy change during the meeting.
The committee’s next steps were limited to routing the public comment to the proper executive committee and including the topic in future meeting materials; no funding decisions were made on the floor.
