More than 1,700 people died from opioid overdoses in Wisconsin in 2023, a slight decrease of 4% from the previous year. State Attorney General Josh Kaul described the scourge of fentanyl and how settlement money is helping victims. With vaccination rates low in Wisconsin, Brown County Deputy Public Health Director Katrina Nordyke detailed an ongoing whooping cough outbreak in her region, and Alex Brower of the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans responded to questions. measures needed to fully fund Social Security as the federal benefits program approaches insolvency. .
Josh Kaul
Wisconsin Attorney General (D)
Katrina Nordyke
Deputy Public Health Officer, Brown County Public Health
- Brown County Public Health has investigated more than 65 cases of whooping cough or whooping cough since April. Vaccines against this disease, which is especially dangerous for babies, are part of the usual schedule for children, as are booster vaccines for adults. Nordyke described how vaccination rates slowed during the pandemic, leading to outbreaks of diseases such as whooping cough and measles.
- Nordyke: “We have to ask ourselves to what extent that small decline in uptake is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people not being able to get to their providers, and people being late just for general appointments. And there may also remain some questions about the actual COVID-19 vaccine. But we encourage people to contact their medical provider and ask any questions they have. You can ask them where your vaccination status is. For you or your loved ones. You can also check the Wisconsin Immunization Registry online to see what vaccines you have and talk to your provider about any vaccines you may need.”
Alex Brower
Executive Director, Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans
- The latest federal assessment of the solvency of the Social Security program, which provides retirement and disability benefits, shows that it will be insolvent by 2035, when its trust fund reserves could be depleted. That will mean beneficiaries will only get 83% of their benefits instead of 100%. Brower’s organization supports a congressional measure requiring high-income earners to contribute more to Social Security taxes to help workers of more moderate means.
- Brower: “Those people owe it to our collective success. And that means that everyone who is a worker currently has a full and dignified retirement. So we’re asking, yes, we’re asking the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. But in reality, they are pennies compared to the wealth we have created for them by being American consumers.”
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