Madison Town Hall Demonstrates Support for Medicaid Expansion

On Wednesday night, I had the chance to participate in a town hall discussion about the importance of Medicaid expansion and the role it plays in Governor Evers’s budget proposal. Also participating in the town hall were Governor Tony Evers, Department of Health Services Secretary-Designee Andrea Palm, and State Reps. Chris Taylor, Jimmy Anderson, Dianne Hesselbein, Sheila Stubbs, Gary Hebl, and Gordon Hintz.   

By accepting the federal funds available under the Affordable Care Act to expand our state’s Medicaid program, Wisconsin could provide health insurance coverage to 82,000 more people while saving taxpayers over $300 million. For eight years, legislative Republicans have prevented Wisconsin from moving forward with this common sense plan, but Governor Evers’s budget proposal gives the Legislature another opportunity to do the right thing and expand Medicaid.

Recent polls show that the great majority of Wisconsinites support Medicaid expansion, and we saw that reflected in our discussion Wednesday night. We heard from health care providers, senior citizens, advocates, and other individuals in support of the Governor’s proposal. One especially compelling story came from a caregiver whose income was just a few dollars above the threshold to qualify for Medicaid coverage and couldn’t afford private insurance, meaning she fell through the cracks of our health insurance system. Medicaid expansion would make a world of difference for her. It’s time to stop playing political games with the health coverage of Wisconsinites and expand Medicaid.

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Health Committee Update

Earlier this week my colleagues and I on the Assembly Health Committee heard testimony on AB24, a bill allowing exceptions to step-therapy protocols, and AB137, a bill which addresses allowing pharmacists and pharmacy students to administer vaccines.

Step therapy, also known as “fail first,” is a process that requires patients to try and fail on one or more medicines chosen by their insurer before coverage is granted for the drug prescribed by the patient’s health care provider. This helps insurers save money, but in some cases it can prevent patients from getting the treatment they need in a timely fashion.

That’s where AB 24 comes in, reforming the step therapy process to return decision-making to doctors and patients rather than insurance companies. The bill allows patients to request exemptions from step therapy protocols if they’ve already tried the medicine and it has not worked, the medication could cause a patient harm, or if a patient is already using a medication that is working for them and their condition is stable.   

AB 137 is a necessary step in improving access to immunizations for all Wisconsinites, especially in rural and under-served parts of the state. It will improve access to immunizations by making it easier for pharmacists to provide them. The bill specifies that pharmacists must have proper, specialized training in administering vaccines, and must abide by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

The great majority of public testimony for both of these bills was positive, and I’m glad to support both of these important pieces of legislation.

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Community Development Committee Update

On Tuesday the Community Development Committee met in the North Hearing Room of the Capitol. My colleagues and I on the committee listened to testimony by invited speakers from around Wisconsin on steps they have taken to revitalize their communities.  The speakers were from towns like Little Chute, Oconomowoc, Mount Horeb, & Elm Grove. These communities are great destinations for a day trip or weekend away.  If you visit you can discover a real Dutch windmill, explore Wisconsin’s connection to the Wizard of Oz, drive down the “Trollway,” or see a small, rural town sandwiched between two urban communities.

After the public hearing we voted on Assembly Bill 66, which provides funding to the Department of Tourism’s Arts Board for grants to non-profits, businesses, local governments, and business development associations that meet certain qualifications including a 2 to 1 match of non-state funds for their projects. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation. Wisconsin’s arts and cultural sectors add millions to our collective economy while also entertaining us, shaping our culture and communities, attracting tourists, increasing achievement for school aged children who are exposed to art, and fostering creativity across the board.  We ultimately passed the bill out of committee on a vote of 7 to 2.

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Budget Update

I wanted to take a moment to update you on where the Legislature is on the budget process.  Over the past couple weeks, the Joint Committee on Finance has been traveling the state. It is clear from the public testimony that the Governor’s budget has significant public support. The Joint Committee on Finance has heard from nurses, caregivers, educators, superintendents, county public health officials, high school students, seniors, parents, and environmental activists who overwhelmingly support this budget and the much-needed investments it makes in our communities.

The top issue that has been discussed repeatedly is K-12 public education and special education funding. Another major topic is the need for UW funding, including some necessary capital budget investments in the science buildings scarred by leaky roofs, rats, and mold. Medicaid expansion is also a major priority for many Wisconsinites, as discussed above.

There will be one more opportunity for the public to give their opinions on Governor Evers’ budget to the Joint Committee on Finance on Wednesday, April 24, 2019 (10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in the University Union - Phoenix Rooms located at 2430 Campus Court Green Bay, WI 54311.  If you are unable to attend this session you can email your thoughts to budgetcomments@legis.wisconsin.gov to be distributed to the members of the committee.

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Wisconsin Hospital Association Day

On Wednesday I welcomed Paul Martin of Quartz Health Solutions for a Wisconsin Hospital Association Day visit in my office. We discussed telehealth, Medicaid reimbursement rates, and high quality health care. I look forward to working with the Wisconsin Hospital Association this session as we address issues of shared concern and work towards what’s best for patients.

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Fun Wisconsin Fact

This week in Wisconsin History: Back on April 20, 1836 Wisconsin officially became a territory upon an Act of Congress.  In the final section of the Act, funds were appropriated for the Wisconsin State Library which we know today as the State Law Library. 

In 1904, when the Capitol caught on fire, university students rushed to the library, climbing up ladders to save the books.  Once Supreme Court Justice R.D. Marshall arrived he organized the effort.  The books that were saved were passed hand by hand to local stores and then later to wagons for safe keeping.   There are estimates that 600 or more people helped with the effort.  Only a few years later did the library establish a card catalog system.

Upon renovation of the East Wing of the Capitol in the early 2000s, the Library permanently moved out of the Capitol, first to 1 E. Main Street and then to its current location in the Risser Justice Center. You can still see the legacy of the library on the third floor of the East Wing in the capitol because above the entryway doors to the Joint Finance Committee Offices it still says “State Law Library” painted on the glass, as those panes were protected during the renovation.  

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