Alliance of Health Insurers

On Thursday, February 25, Governor Tony Evers signed 2021 Act 4, legislation including both COVID liability protections and reforms to the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The bill cleared the Legislature with widespread support, passing the Senate by 27-3 on February 18 and the Assembly by 89-0 on February 23. Senate President Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield), […]

As of Tuesday, February 23, Wisconsin had been allocated about 1.6 million COVID vaccine doses from the federal government. About 1.2 million vaccine doses have been administered, and about 360,000 Wisconsin residents have completed the two-dose series. Almost half of Wisconsinites aged 65 and older have received at least one dose. Currently, the state is […]

A bipartisan group of legislators are reintroducing legislation to update how Wisconsin regulates physician assistants (PAs). This group includes Senators Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls), Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), and Brad Pfaff (D-Onalaska) and Representatives Nancy VanderMeer (R-Nekoosa), James Edming (R-Glen Flora), and Dave Considine (D-Baraboo). Similar legislation passed the Assembly on a voice vote in February […]

On Tuesday, February 16, Governor Tony Evers gave his second biennial budget address and released his 2021-23 executive budget. All told, the governor proposes an operating budget of $45.4 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 and $45.6 billion in FY 2022-23. The proposed state budget adds 308.74 FTE positions by FY 2022-23 compared to FY 2020-21. The […]

On Thursday, February 11, the Senate and Assembly health committees passed AB 7/SB 3, companion versions of a bill authorizing the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to license and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The Assembly committee passed the bill unanimously, while Senator Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) was the only one to vote no on […]

After a contentious first month of the new legislative session, Governor Tony Evers vetoed Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1), the first bill to reach his desk this year. AB 1, a comprehensive proposal to address COVID-19 in Wisconsin, included broad protections from COVID-19 liability claims for businesses, non-profits, and other entities, Unemployment Insurance reforms sought by the […]

As of Tuesday, February 9, Wisconsin had been allocated about 1,150,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from the federal government. Vaccinating providers in the state had ordered about 900,000 doses, while the remaining doses were set aside specifically for the residents and staff of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Nearly 800,000 vaccine doses have been administered, […]

Earlier this week, the Assembly and Senate again considered Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1), a comprehensive COVID-19 response package that was introduced at the start of the session by Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and quickly passed by the Assembly along partisan lines. AB 1 was then amended by the Senate via Senate Substitute Amendment 1 […]

On Tuesday, January 26, the Department of Health Services (DHS) announced which groups of Wisconsinites will be eligible for the next phase of COVID-19 vaccinations. As we reported a few weeks ago, the vaccine subcommittee of the State Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (SDMAC) was soliciting public comments and formulating recommendations to the administration on who […]

On Tuesday, January 19, Gov. Evers issued Executive Order #104, declaring a new statewide public health emergency related to COVID-19. Pursuant to this order, the governor also issued Emergency Order #1, requiring individuals to wear face coverings while indoors or in an enclosed space (other than a private residence), if other individuals not from the […]