Wisconsin Democrats Expand Medical Care
The room was crowded with local state and federal candidates Wednesday night at our county party meeting. What a great group of people.
Make certain you check out the voter guide published in this newsletter. Excellent work by the Communications Committee. The PDF is printable and you can take it to the polls with you. Our candidates also need your help getting out the word.
Please sign up to knock doors, text, or phone bank. Early voting starts on Tuesday, March 24, and ends Friday, April 3. The election is April 7. Be certain you make a plan to vote. Given that we are also in the middle of many religious holidays, we can get distracted.
Now that we have covered the updates, let’s celebrate Wisconsin Democrats expanding medical care in very real and important ways.
Assemblywoman Deb Andraca was with us Wednesday night to give us some good news. Thanks to the Assembly's vigilant strategy to get the bill passed, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill into state law Wednesday that expands postpartum care for mothers through the state’s Medicaid program, BadgerCare Plus. It is familiarly known as the “Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies” initiative.
Evers signed Senate Bill (SB) 23, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 102, at Children’s Wisconsin Hospital in Wauwatosa.
From WPR : “'Almost seven years ago to the day, I first proposed expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year. It was one of the very first things I announced back in 2019 as part of my very first budget, and it’s been in every budget I’ve ever introduced as governor – that’s how long I’ve been fighting to get this done, folks,' Evers said in a statement.
“'Expanding postpartum coverage is the right move for Wisconsin families, it’s the right move for our state, and it’s a privilege to be able to sign this bill into law today,' Evers added. 'It’s been a long time coming, but I’m darn proud we got it done.'”
Andraca explained to us: “The expanded coverage, which will be available starting on July 1, means low-income mothers on Medicaid and their babies, who automatically get a year of coverage, will have Medicaid coverage for the same length of time. The only state in the U.S. left that has not implemented the expansion is Arkansas.” This will save millions of dollars in healthcare costs.
Additionally, this week in Madison, as reported by WISPOLITICS: “Gov. Tony Evers signed ‘Gail’s Law,’ Senate Bill 264, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 103, requiring health insurance policies, including BadgerCare, to fully cover medically necessary supplemental breast screenings or diagnostic breast examinations for those with dense breasts or who are at an increased risk of breast cancer. Gov. Evers signed the bill in honor of Gail Zeamer, a Wisconsinite who tragically passed away in 2024 after a late-stage diagnosis caused by undetected cancer in dense breast tissue. The governor signed ‘Gail’s Law’ at the Wisconsin State Capitol today, surrounded by Gail’s husband, Steve, as well as Gail’s daughters, Sophie and Claudia, among others.”
These measures were both passed and signed by the governor, because the Democrats used their power in the Minority to get them passed. Imagine what good things could be done if we had the Majority in the Senate and Assembly and a Democratic governor, a trifecta as many people like to call it.
We live in the wealthiest country in the world. We are the ones who did the work to make the wealth. Why do we have to fight, unlike other more effective governments, to provide us with services that make our lives better? Why do we have to fight to keep babies healthy, healthcare affordable, wages life-sustaining and public schools adequately funded? Why are we okay with our hard-earned money trickling upward? For example, if Jeff Bezos can rent the Italian city of Venice for 50 million dollars, he sure can afford to let his employees unionize. Other countries look at us and shake their heads.
Well, we do what we can do. Please volunteer to help with the spring elections. As always, THANKS for reading. Please remember when you go to the poll this year that it was Wisconsin Democrats who expanded medical care for so many in need.