Several legislators have authored a bill to create hospital price transparency requirements in Wisconsin. The authors, Sens. Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Bradley (R-Franklin) and Reps. Brooks (R-Saukville) and Rozar (R-Marshfield), are referring to the legislation as the “Know Your Healthcare Costs Act.” The bill requires hospitals to create a publicly available, machine-readable digital file containing a […]
Legislators Propose Hospital Price Transparency Requirements
Date Fri, May. 19, 2023 - 8:52am By Hamilton
Assembly Floor Sessions: April 2023
Date Wed, Apr. 19, 2023 - 9:46am By Hamilton
April 18 (floor calendar) The Assembly met April 18 and passed five resolutions, including recognizing Earth Day and honoring the lives and public service of former Gov. Anthony Earl and former UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. The Assembly passed the following bills, primarily related to local government administration and the operation of miscellaneous programs: AB 36: […]
Legislative Council Approves 2022 Study Committee Bills
Date Thu, Mar. 30, 2023 - 2:10pm By Hamilton
The Joint Legislative Council (JLC) recommends special committees to study major issues identified by the Wisconsin Legislature, typically during even-numbered years after the regular session has adjourned. In April 2022, JLC established seven study committees consisting of legislators and members of the public. Those committees held hearings and developed policy recommendations. On March 23, JLC met […]
VIDEO: Wisconsin Legislature Recognizes American Red Cross Month (March 2023)
Date Thu, Mar. 23, 2023 - 12:55pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Legislature, by unanimously adopting Assembly Joint Resolution 14, has recognized March 2023 as American Red Cross Month in Wisconsin. AJR 14 passed the Assembly on March 14 and the Senate concurred in the resolution on March 22. The resolution was authored by Rep. Donna Rozar (R-Marshfield) and Sen. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan).
Alliance of Health Insurers Urges CMS Not to Cut Medicare Advantage
Date Thu, Mar. 16, 2023 - 4:05pm By Hamilton
The Alliance of Health Insurers (AHI) recently urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider deep cuts to the Medicare Advantage program which CMS had proposed. If the cuts take effect, AHI expressed concern that over 608,000 Medicare Advantage beneficiaries in Wisconsin alone will experience major premium increases and lose many of […]
Gov. Evers 2023-25 Executive Budget Highlights
Date Thu, Feb. 16, 2023 - 11:48am By Hamilton
Gov. Evers gave his third biennial budget address on February 15, unveiling his 2023-25 executive budget. He proposes an operating budget of $103.8 billion over the next two fiscal years, adding a net 816.55 FTE positions. For comparison, the 2021-23 state budget spent $87.5 billion with a net reduction of 174.19 FTE positions. The complete […]
Kirsten Johnson Appointed DHS Secretary as Agency Releases State Health Plan, Equity Report
Date Wed, Feb. 8, 2023 - 10:38am By Hamilton
Kirsten Johnson Appointed DHS Secretary On Monday, Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced the appointment of Kirsten Johnson as secretary of the Department of Health Services (DHS). Most recently, Johnson was the Milwaukee Commissioner of Health for two years and previously spent 10 years as the director and health officer of the Washington Ozaukee Public Health […]
In Fifth State of the State, Gov. Evers Announces Budget Proposals
Date Wed, Jan. 25, 2023 - 11:07am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) delivered his fifth annual State of the State address on the evening of January 24 before a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature. The address was delivered in the Assembly Chambers of the Wisconsin Capitol Building. The governor’s office has released the full text of his prepared remarks as well as […]
State Budget Issues: Taxes, Medicaid, PFAS
Date Wed, Jan. 25, 2023 - 11:03am By Hamilton
With another legislative session comes another biennial state budget bill, and Wisconsin is expected to have a surplus of $7.1 billion when the current fiscal biennium ends June 30. The 2023-25 state budget will occupy much of the Legislature’s attention for the next few months. In last night’s State of the State address, Gov. Tony […]
Kicking Off Second Term, Gov. Evers Names Several New Agency Heads
Date Wed, Jan. 11, 2023 - 9:00am By Hamilton
Following the November 2022 election, three members of Gov. Tony Evers’ (D) cabinet announced they were leaving the administration. Sec. Preston Cole of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Sec. Mary Kolar of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) have both retired, and Gov. Evers has since appointed their replacements. To lead DVA, Gov. […]