Improving Healthcare

The Assembly met this week on Tuesday, March 16, and Wednesday, March 17.

On March 16, the Assembly passed a number of bipartisan bills that I believe will improve healthcare access and outcomes:

• Assembly Bill 34 will protect individuals with preexisting conditions should the courts strike down the Affordable Care Act.
• Assembly Bill 63 updates a number of regulations relating to the practice of psychology.
• Assembly Bill 125 expands physician assistants' autonomy.
• Senate Bill 3 regulates pharmacy benefit managers.
• Senate Bill 13 allows dentists to administer COVID and flu vaccines.

On March 17, the Assembly passed Assembly Bill 148, which includes several provisions intended to assist hospitals in their response to COVID and also streamlines the process for out-of-state health providers to practice in Wisconsin. 

The Assembly also passed a number of non-health-related bills, including:

• Assembly Bill 27 updates and streamlines the Public Service Commission's regulatory process.
• Senate Bill 74 improves home-inspection regulations.
• Senate Bill 109 makes it easier for school districts that offer virtual education programs to accept open-enrollment students.

The Assembly will reconvene on March 23.

COVID Update

On Monday, March 22, individuals with certain medical conditions will become eligible for the COVID vaccine.  (This expansion was originally scheduled for March 29.)  The list of conditions is fairly extensive, so it will encompass a large number of Wisconsin residents, although when an eligible person can actually get vaccinated will still depend on the available supply.  The Department of Health Services has information about where you can get vaccinated.

The Department of Revenue announced this week that the filing deadline for Wisconsin income tax returns has been extended to May 17, matching a recent change in this year's federal filing deadline.  On a related note, the Assembly ways and means committee, on which I serve, unanimously approved legislation this week (Assembly Bill 18) that would automatically change the state filing deadline to reflect any future changes in the federal deadline.