Troubled federal WISeR program to continue and expand despite legal doubts
Despite reports of painful delays and a critical GAO review, officials plan to keep WISeR running and grow it in coming years.
The federal WISeR program is continuing despite reports of technical problems, slow decisions and patients waiting in pain. Documents obtained amid litigation and released by the Electronic Frontier Foundation supported accounts of puzzling denials and provider concerns. One clinician reported that patients were in tears from pain while awaiting care. In May, the Government Accountability Office found that officials had not followed proper procedures when setting up the program, putting its legality in doubt. Lawmakers are seeking answers and trying to stop it, but expansion is planned for the coming years.
Why it matters
The decision to maintain and expand WISeR means patients and clinicians remain stuck with a system already linked to delayed care and confusing denials, including cases where people were reportedly left crying in pain while they waited for treatment. At the same time, a federal watchdog has questioned whether the program was even set up lawfully, prompting lawmakers to push for answers and attempt to halt it, but so far without success.
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Sources
- Ars Technica