Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address Highlighting Plan to Crack Down on Health Insurance Companies and Lower Out-of-Pocket Healthcare Costs for Wisconsinites
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address highlighting plans from his 2025-27 Executive Budget to crack down on insurance companies and prescription price gouging, lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs, reduce appointment wait times, and enable Wisconsinites to get healthcare closer to home, and expand access to affordable healthcare statewide, including in rural communities.
During his 2025-27 Biennial Budget Message, Gov. Evers announced several key initiatives to:
- Crack down on insurance companies and prescription price gouging;
- Reduce appointment wait times and enable Wisconsinites to get care closer to home;
- Lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs for medication and insulin;
- Require health insurance companies to automatically cover more healthcare services and procedures with no delays and hassles;
- Prevent surprise medical billing and reporting unpaid medical debt to collections and credit bureaus; and
- Provide new hospital investments to improve healthcare access statewide, including in Wisconsin’s rural communities.
As part of Gov. Evers’ comprehensive plan to lower costs for working families, he is also proposing to eliminate the sales tax on over-the-counter medications, which would save Wisconsinites a projected $70 million over the next two years. Additional information on Gov. Evers’s plan to address the frustrating challenges Wisconsinites face with sweeping changes to the healthcare industry in Wisconsin is available here.
Hey there, Wisconsin! Governor Tony Evers here.
A key part of my plan to lower costs for working families includes making it easier for folks to get the healthcare they need without breaking the bank.
It’s why I’m again proposing to expand BadgerCare, which would save Wisconsin taxpayers nearly $2 billion over the next two years and expand quality, affordable healthcare coverage for about 100,000 Wisconsinites.
My “Less for Rx” plan will lower costs for life-saving prescription drugs and insulin, including capping insulin copays at $35 and eliminating the sales tax on over-the-counter medications to save Wisconsinites $70 million over the next two years alone.
And I hear from folks all the time who feel like they’re getting ripped off by the healthcare industry and insurers. Wisconsinites aren’t getting a fair shake when it comes to healthcare, and I want to change that.
So, first things first: I want to make Wisconsin the first state in America to start auditing insurance companies over denying healthcare claims.
If an insurance company is going to deny your healthcare claim, they should have a darn good reason for it. So, under my plan, if an insurance company is denying Wisconsinites’ claims too often, we’re going to audit them. Pretty simple.
And here’s what else my plan would do: we’d create a new office to help Wisconsinites whose health insurance claims are denied, and we’re going to create new standards to expand the healthcare services and procedures that insurance companies are required to cover.
That means more healthcare services and procedures will be covered by your insurance automatically—no delays, no hassle, no questions asked.
And we’re working to make sure Wisconsinites know what you’re getting when you buy your insurance plan, to reduce wait times, and to make sure covered care is close to home, and so much more.
Folks, healthcare should not be a privilege afforded by only the healthy and the wealthy. Wisconsinites should be able to get the healthcare they need when they need it.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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