WiHPCA News

WiHPCA’s top legislative priority for the 2025-2026 state legislative session is the passage of Assembly Bill 23/Senate Bill 39, which would create a state Palliative Care Council to advise the state Department of Health Services (DHS) and the state Legislature on key issues impacting palliative care failed to pass the Republican-controlled State Senate. In addition, the bill would create a statewide palliative care consumer and professional information and education program to educate the general public on palliative care, which is frequently misunderstood.

Thanks to the advocacy of WiHPCA members, our organization made great strides in moving this legislation forward during the 2025-2026 state legislative session! Both the Assembly Health Committee and the Senate Health Committee held respective hearings on this legislation in early 2025, during which several WiHPCA members testified in support of this legislation. Thank you to those WiHPCA members who traveled to Madison who testified at these hearings! After these hearings, the Assembly Health Committee voted overwhelmingly (14-1) to advance AB39, and the Senate Health Committee voted unanimously (5-0) to advance SB39. Following committee action, the full state Assembly voted overwhelmingly (96-1) to pass this bill.

Due to the advocacy of WiHPCA members, this legislation has advanced farther than it has during prior legislative sessions. In particular, WiHPCA members responded to multiple WiHPCA action alerts and contacted their respective state Representatives and state Senators to ask them to vote to advance this bill. In addition, WiHPCA created a coalition of health care organizations which engaged in several outreach efforts to members of the state Legislature to advance this bill. Despite WiHPCA’s broad and sustained advocacy efforts on this bill, the state Senate ultimately did not vote on this legislation during the 2025-2026 legislative session.

It is important to note that it is not unusual for legislation to be re-introduced in several successive two-year legislative sessions before it passes both the Assembly and Senate and makes it to the Governor’s desk. WiHPCA anticipates working with state legislators during the next legislative session – which begins in January 2027 – to re-introduce this important legislation.

On Friday, February 20, the Wisconsin State Assembly concluded its work for the 2025-2026 regular legislative session and the state Senate is expected to conclude their final action on March 17.

As this is written, the Legislature approved the following bills of interest to WIHPCA:

Senate Bill 264 (Requires health insurers to cover diagnostic breast exams and screening exams for those at increased risk of breast cancer ) passed the Legislature.

• This bill also requires such screenings to be covered by Medicaid.

• SB264 passed the Assembly on February 19 by a vote of 96-0. It passed the Senate on October 14, 2025, by a vote of 32-1. It will subsequently go to the Governor for his consideration.

Senate Bill 417 (Visitation of a long-term care facility resident or hospital patient during a communicable disease outbreak) passed the Legislature.

• Under this bill, if an assisted living facility, nursing home, or hospital limits visitors due to an outbreak or epidemic of a communicable disease, the facility must allow certain visits with residents or patients of the facility.

• The bill allows such a facility to deny visitation with a resident or patient by a member of the clergy or an essential visitor for various reasons, including if:

o the member of the clergy or essential visitor refuses to comply with health and safety policies;

o it is unknown if the member of the clergy or essential visitor is contagious with a communicable disease and adequate precautions are not available to prevent them from infecting others;

o the resident or patient is known or suspected to be contagious with a communicable disease and adequate precautions are not available to prevent them from infecting others; or

o the resident or patient does not wish to visit with the member of the clergy or essential visitor.

• SB417 passed the Assembly on February 19 by voice vote. It had previously passed the Senate on January 21 by a vote of 19-14. The next step is for the bill to be sent to the Governor for his consideration.

Senate Bill 822 (Allows discounts for the prompt payment of health care fees) passed the Legislature.

• Under current state law, a clinician is not allowed to reduce (or offer to reduce) a patient’s coinsurance or deductible unless paying the amount would be an undue financial hardship for the patient.

• This bill clarifies that discounts for prompt patient payment do not violate existing prohibitions in state law. It also clarifies that clinicians may (but are not required to) offer a discount to patients for prompt payment. Discounts are limited to 15% of the bill (and are reasonably related to the avoided amount of collection costs).

• The bill also includes the following requirements related to allowing such a payment discount:

o The discount must be offered uniformly for prompt payment, without regard to the insurer or the patient's reason for seeking care.

o The clinician must notify insurers by posting the most up-to-date discount policy on their website (public advertising of the discount is prohibited unless otherwise required by law).

o The discount cannot be provided before the service is scheduled or outside the clinician’s ordinary course of dealing with patients (e.g., at registration, billing, or payment).

o Clinicians cannot shift the cost of the discount to other payers or include it in third-party payer contracts (except as allowed by state or federal law).

• This bill passed the Assembly on February 19 by voice vote. It passed the Senate on February 11. It will now go to the Governor for his consideration.

Senate Bill 832 (Allowing any pharmacy to be operated as a remotely supervised pharmacy, if the pharmacist complies with the Pharmacy Examining Board’s rules) passed the Legislature.

• Under existing state law, pharmacies at certain locations (e.g., health care facilities, clinicians’ offices, and correctional facilities) may be operated as remote dispensing sites that are supervised remotely by pharmacists.

• This bill passed the Assembly yesterday by voice vote. It passed the Senate on February 11. It will now go to the Governor for his consideration.

Once the state Senate has adjourned for the 2025-2026 regular legislative session, we will provide you with an appropriate update.

[NOTE: Individuals and topics referenced in the following poll summary were selected to reflect information of general interest to WiHPCA members. The inclusion of any particular item does not in any way reflect the views of WiHPCA, Hoven Consulting, Badger Bay Management Company or its employees or representatives.]

On February 25, 2026, Marquette University Law School Poll released its most recent poll, which surveyed 818 registered Wisconsin voters between February 11-19, 2026. The margin of error is +/-4.3 percentage points. This poll is the first Wisconsin state-specific Marquette poll since October 2025. This new poll covers political approval ratings, 2026 candidates, as well as various policy areas.

The following February 2026 poll findings may be of interest:

Elected Officials

President Trump Job Approval

• 44% approve of the job President Trump (R) is doing.

• 54% disapprove.

• 2% don’t know.

Governor Tony Evers Job Approval

• 49% approve of the job Governor Tony Evers (D) is doing.

• 45% disapprove.

• 6% don’t know.

Wisconsin Legislature Job Approval

• 41% approve of the state legislature’s job performance.

• 44% disapprove.

• 15% don’t know.

Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidates – 2026 August Primary Election

The following are the polling results of Wisconsin Republican primary voters when asked for whom they would vote:

• Congressman Tom Tiffany: 35%

• Medical Service Technician Andy Manske: 2%

NOTE: 63 percent of Republican primary voters indicated that they have not made up their minds on a preferred candidate for governor.

The following are the polling results of Wisconsin Democratic primary voters when asked for whom they would vote:

• State Rep. Francesca Hong (Madison): 11%

• Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes: 10%

• Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez: 6%

• Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley: 3%

• Former Non-Profit Executive Joel Brennan: 2%

• Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes: 2%

• State Sen. Kelda Roys (Madison): 1%

• Former State Rep. Brett Hulsey (Madison Suburbs): 1%

NOTE: 65 percent of Democratic primary voters indicated that they have not made up their minds on a preferred candidate for governor.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Candidates – 2026 Spring Election

The following are the polling results of Wisconsin registered voters when asked for whom they would vote in the April State Supreme Court election:

• Waukesha-Based State Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar (Conservative Candidate): 12%

• Madison-Based State Appeals Court Judge Chris Taylor (Liberal Candidate): 17%

NOTE: 66% of Wisconsin registered voters indicated that they have not made up their minds on a preferred candidate for the state Supreme Court.

General Issues

The most important issue among registered voters:

• Inflation and the cost of living: 34%

• Health insurance: 14%

• Illegal immigration and border security: 13%

• Taxes: 9%

• Jobs and the economy: 9%

• Affordability of housing: 7%

• Gun violence: 5%

• Abortion policy: 5%

• Public schools: 4%

• Crime in your community: 1%

[NOTE: Candidates referenced in the following political update were selected to reflect information of general interest to WiHPCA members. The inclusion of any particular item does not in any way reflect the views of WiHPCA, Hoven Consulting, Badger Bay Management Company or its employees or representatives.]

On February 19, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Western Racine County) announced that he will not run for re-election this year. He is the longest-serving Assembly Speaker in Wisconsin history, serving in that role since 2013. He was first elected to the Assembly in 2004. Assembly Majority Leader Tyler August (R-Lake Geneva Area) is widely expected to be the next Assembly Speaker, if the GOP maintains control of that chamber.

In mid-March, state Senator Van Wanggaard (R-Racine) has indicated that he will not run for re-election this year. He was first elected in 2010, lost a recall election in 2012, was elected again in 2014, and has been re-elected since. The boundaries of his state Senate district have changed significantly during redistricting that took place in 2024. This district is now a “swing” district and is considered to be one of the state Senate districts that Democrats have targeted in this year’s elections. As this is written, the only declared candidate is Democrat Trevor Jung, who is a former City of Racine Alder and is the current Director of Transit and Mobility for the city.

Over the last month, several Democrats have announced their respective candidacies against several incumbent Democratic members of the state Assembly from Milwaukee:

• Most recently, Milwaukee Public School Board Member Mimi Reza announced that she will run against Rep. Priscilla Prado (D-Milwaukee South Side) in the Democratic primary in August. No Republicans have announced runs for this Assembly seat.

• Earlier in March, former Madison Alder and Milwaukee small business owner Bridget Maniaci announced she will run against Rep. Ryan Clancy (D-Milwaukee East Side & Bay View Neighborhoods) in the Democratic primary. No Republicans have announced runs for this Assembly seat.

• Several weeks ago, non-profit employee and community activist Ismael Luna announced that he will run against Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez (D-Milwaukee South Side) in the Democratic primary. No Republicans have announced runs for this Assembly seat.

On March 9, State Supreme Court Justice Annette Ziegler, a conservative, announced that she will not run for a third 10-year term in 2027. She first won election to the state Supreme Court in 2007 and previously served as a Washington County judge, a prosecutor and an attorney in private practice. As this is written, no individuals have announced that they will run for this position. However, such announcements could occur after this year’s spring election on April 7.

In late January, the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance released funding to the state Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) intended to improve occupational credential processing efficiencies. In particular, the committee released $1.8 million to DSPS to update customer call center software, implement a 24-hour “AI-agent chat” pilot program intended to answer most “how to” questions, and add six contract staff members to implement these upgrades and to provide customer assistance.

At the end of January, President Donald Trump endorsed Congressman Tom Tiffany (R-Minocqua) in his campaign for governor. Shortly after, Republican gubernatorial candidate Josh Schoemann – who serves as Washington County Executive – ended his campaign. As such, Congressman Tiffany is the sole major candidate running for the Republican nomination for governor.

Also in January, state Senator Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) announced that he would not run for re-election this year. After that announcement, physical therapist and business owner Mike Roberts (R-Pewaukee) announced his candidacy for this seat. State Representative Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa) had previously announced her candidacy for this state Senate seat. This is viewed as perhaps the most competitive state Senate election in 2026.

On February 2, state Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) announced that he will not run for re-election this year. Senator Nass started his service in the Legislature in 1991, as a member of the state Assembly. Following that announcement, former state Representative Ellen Schutt (R-Clinton) announced her candidacy for this state Senate seat.

In January, the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) announced a projection that the state government will have a $2.5 billion surplus at the end of the current Fiscal Year 2025-2027 budget timeframe. This projected amount is $1.5 billion more than previously projected. Most of that increase is due to nearly $1.4 billion in increased state tax collections. LFB’s analysis for this higher-than-expected surplus is due to growth in the 2025 gross domestic product due to a lower rate of inflation. LFB also indicated that a lower-than-expected tariff rate also played a role.

On February 12, the state Assembly unanimously passed Assembly Bill 910, which would put in place a process for each state government agency to review the fees and fines under their respective purview and recommend any updates to the Legislature. Numerous such fees and fines have not been updated in 20, 30, or 40 or more years. It’s also worth noting that fees addressed by this bill include occupational credentialing fees, which are mostly assessed by the state Department of Safety and Professional Services.

In particular, the bill would require each state government agency to undertake a fee and fine review every six years. As a result of this review, each agency would make recommendations to the Legislature to consider updating fees and fines to take into account inflation. However, under the bill, an agency is allowed to recommend no changes to a particular fee or fine. If an agency does recommend an increase to a particular fee or fine, they may recommend implementing it over four years to minimize impact on affected parties.

This bill will now be sent to the state Senate for its consideration.

On January 2, 2026, Governor Tony Evers announced that he will deliver his 2026 State of the State address in the Assembly Chamber of the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at 7:00PM (Central Time). As he is not running for re-election in 2026, this will be his final State of the State speech. His speech may be viewed live online on the WisconsinEye website, the Governor’s YouTube channel, as well as his Facebook page.

In recent weeks, WiHPCA decided to support legislation that allows family members to ensure that they are able to get their loved ones admitted to a nursing home or an assisted living facility without having to go through a lengthy and expensive court-ordered guardianship process if they become incapacitated and do not have a power of attorney for health care. Under current state law, if a loved one is incapacitated while in a hospital and has not previously completed such a power of attorney – even if they are medically cleared to be transferred – it often takes weeks or months to complete a court-ordered guardianship process.

The Senate Committee on Health voted 4-1 on November 11, 2025, to advance the Senate version of this bill – Senate Bill 578 – to the full Senate. On November 12, 2025, the Assembly Committee on Health held a hearing on the Assembly companion bill, Assembly Bill 598. WiHPCA’s Madison lobbyists will continue to monitor this legislation.