Policies We're Watching Related to Access to Health Care
The most critical policy debates regarding essential health care programs that women and girls in Wisconsin rely on to access care are currently taking place in Congress, which is debating whether to repeal the Affordable Care Act and dramatically alter Medicaid. For more in-depth information regarding these federal policy debates and how they could affect Wisconsin, please visit Wisconsin Health Matters.
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Description: This bill will prevent insurance companies from denying someone a policy because they have a pre-existing condition (the “guaranteed issue” requirement), refusing to cover services that people need to treat a pre-existing condition (“pre-existing condition exclusions”), or charging a higher premium based on a person’s health status (the “community rating” provision).”
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Co-authors: Sen. Andre Jacque (R-De Pere) & Rep. Kevin Peterson (R-Waupaca)
Status: Hearing scheduled for Assembly Health Committee on 1/15/19 |
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Description: This bill prohibits health insurance policies and plans, known in the bill as disability insurance policies, and self-insured governmental health plans from imposing a lifetime limit or an annual limit on the dollar value of benefits.
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Co-authors: Rep. Daniel Riemer & Sen. Jon Erpenbach
Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing and Trade and Assembly Committee on Insurance. AB 365 was withdrawn from Committee and replaced by Assembly Substitute Amendment 1, which altered the bill to address issues relating to pre-existing conditions in a manner that caused most of the bill's co-authors to withdraw their co-authorship of the bill. The amended version of the bill passed the Assembly but not the Senate. Both bill versions failed to pass before end of 2017-2018 legislative session. WAWH Position: Support |
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Description: This bill requires health insurance policies to cover essential health benefits that will be specified by the commissioner of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance by rule. The bill specifies a list of coverage requirements including: ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder services, prescription drugs, rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, laboratory services, preventive and wellness services and chronic disease management, and pediatric services.
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Co-authors: Rep. Daniel Riemer & Sen. Jon Erpenbach
Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing and Trade and Assembly Committee on Insurance. Failed to pass before end of 2017-2018 legislative session. WAWH Position: Support |
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Description: This bill requires health insurance policies, known in the bill as disability to cover certain
preventive services and to provide coverage without subjecting that coverage to deductibles, copayments, or coinsurance. The preventive services for which coverage is required are specified in the bill. The bill also specifies certain instances when cost-sharing amounts may be charged for an office visit associated with a preventive service. |
Co-authors: Rep. Daniel Riemer & Sen. Jon Erpenbach
Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing and Trade and Assembly Committee on Insurance. Failed to pass before end of 2017-2018 legislative session. WAWH Position: Support |
SB 363 / AB 449: Allow Wisconsin residents to purchase BadgerCare insurance ("public option" insurance program)
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Description: This bill would allow Wisconsin residents to purchase BadgerCare insurance, which is the state's Medicaid plan, at full price as a "public option" for their health insurance coverage.
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Co-authors: Rep. Eric Genrich & Sen. Latonya Johnson
Status: Referred to Assembly Committee on Insurance and Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing and Trade. Failed to pass before end of 2017-2018 legislative session. WAWH Position: Support |
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Description: This bill would expand BadgerCare as offered under the Affordable Care Act to cover all adults who earn up to 138% of the Federal Poverty Level as soon as possible. Full BadgerCare expansion on January 1, 2017 would allow an additional 83,000 Wisconsinites to receive health care insurance under the program and would save Wisconsin approximately $834 million over the next six years.
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Co-authors: Rep. Daniel Riemer & Sen. Jon Erpenbach
Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Health and Human Services and Assembly Committee on Health. Failed to pass before end of 2017-2018 legislative session. WAWH Position: Support Background Information: WAWH Policy Prescription on BadgerCare Expansion |
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