WiHPCA News

On March 17, 2026, the Wisconsin State Senate completed its final session day for the 2025-2026 regular legislative session, and the State Assembly held its final session day on February 20. While the legislature has concluded their scheduled session, there remains the possibility that the Assembly and Senate could reconvene for a special session (called by the Governor) or an extraordinary session (called by the Legislature itself) to address a major topic (e.g., a tax cut and/or school spending plan in response to the $2.5 billion state surplus).

Following the end of the 2025-2026 legislative session, Governor Tony Evers (D) has taken action on the following bills:

Assembly Bill 598 (Consent to admissions to certain health care facilities by patient representatives without requiring a petition for guardianship or protective placement)

• This bill allows a patient’s representative to consent to an incapacitated individual’s admission directly from a hospital to a nursing home or a community-based residential facility.
• This legislation passed the Assembly on February 19 by a vote of 77-18. It passed the Senate on March 17 by a vote of 28-5.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on March 20.
• WiHPCA formally registered in support of this legislation.

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

• 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.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on March 19.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

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

• The bill allows members of the clergy and “essential visitors” to visit residents/patients of an assisted living facility, nursing home, or hospital during a communicable disease outbreak, provided that these individuals meet certain criteria, including complying with health and safety policies.
• This bill passed the Senate on January 21 by a vote of 19-14. It passed the Assembly on February 19 by voice vote.
• Governor Evers vetoed this bill on March 20.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

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

• Under prior 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:
• The discount must be offered uniformly for prompt payment, without regard to the insurer or the patient's reason for seeking care.
• 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).
• 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).
• 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.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on April 2.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this bill.

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)

• Under prior 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 on February 19 by voice vote. It passed the Senate on February 11.
• Governor Evers signed this bill on April 2.
• WiHPCA did not take a formal position on this legislation.

On March 24, 2026, Marquette University Law School Poll released its most recent poll, which surveyed 850 registered Wisconsin voters between March 11-18, 2026. The margin of error is +/-4.4 percentage points. Marquette’s most recent prior Wisconsin state-specific poll was released in February 2026. This new poll covers political approval ratings, 2026 candidates, as well as various policy areas.

The following March 2026 poll findings may be of interest:

Elected Officials

President Trump (R) Job Approval

• 42% approve
• 56% disapprove

Governor Tony Evers (D) Job Approval

• 47% approve
• 47% disapprove
• 6% don’t know

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R) Favorability

• 36% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R)
• 44% have an unfavorable opinion of him
• 20% haven’t heard enough

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) Favorability

• 43% have a favorable opinion of U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D)
• 47% have an unfavorable opinion of her
• 10% haven’t heard enough

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:                                        40%    
• Medical Service Technician Andy Manske:               6%
• Undecided                                                                  54%

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

• State Rep. Francesca Hong (Madison):                                                         14%
• Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes:                                             11%
• Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez:                                                           3%
• Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley:                                                3%
• Former Non-Profit Executive Joel Brennan:                                      2%
• Former Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. CEO Missy Hughes:       1%
• State Sen. Kelda Roys (Madison):                                                     1%
• Former State Rep. Brett Hulsey (Madison Suburbs):                                    0%
• Carthage College Student Zachary Roper                                         0%
• Undecided                                                                                          65%

General Issues

The most important issue among registered voters:

• Inflation and the cost of living:                                    35%
• Illegal immigration and border security:                     14%
• Health insurance:                                            11%
• Jobs and the economy:                                              9%
• Property taxes:                                                            7%
• Affordability of housing:                                              6%
• Abortion policy:                                                           5%
• Public schools:                                                            5%
• Gun violence:                                                  5%
• Crime in your community:                               2%

[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.]

State Supreme Court

Madison-Based State Appeals Court Judge and former Democratic State Representative Chris Taylor prevailed decisively over Waukesha-Based State Appeals Court Judge Maria Lazar in the spring election held on April 7. With 99% of the votes counted, the results for this technically non-partisan race are as follows:

• Chris Taylor:             60.1%
• Maria Lazar:               39.8%

Key Points in this Race

• In winning the race with 60.1% of the vote, Taylor received the second highest vote percentage for a State Supreme Court race since 2000, when conservative Diane Sykes won 65.5% of the vote.
• Taylor’s win will expand the liberal majority on the court from 4-3 to 5-2. Taylor will begin her term on the court on August 1, 2026, and will serve a 10-year term. 

• Once Taylor begins her term on the court, liberal justices will have the majority on the court until at least 2030. Their 5-2 margin could be expanded to 6-1 in the 2027 spring election if a liberal candidate wins the race to succeed conservative Justice Annette Ziegler. Ziegler announced prior to the April 7 election that she would not run for re-election in 2027.

• As the ideological control of the state Supreme Court was not at stake in this election, campaign spending was significantly less than in the spring 2025 State Supreme Court race, when ideological control was at stake. In that 2025 race, $115 million was spent on the State Supreme Court campaign. In this year’s race, it is estimated that $8-9 million was spent, the vast majority of which was spent by Taylor and allied organizations.
• With Taylor winning with such a significant margin, this is likely a warning sign for Republicans in November.

State Senate

As of April 15, 2026, the following state Senators have announced that they are not running for re-election this year:

• Sen. Jesse James (R-Thorp)
• Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield)
• Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater)
• Sen. Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg)
• NOTE: He currently serves as the Senate Majority Leader.
• Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine)

State Assembly

As of April 15, 2026, the following state Representatives have announced that they are not running for re-election this year:

•  Rep. Robin Vos (R-Rochester)
• NOTE: He currently serves as Assembly Speaker.
• Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville)
• Rep. Jerry O’Connor (R-Fond du Lac)
• Rep. Dave Murphy (R-Hortonville)
• Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca)
• NOTE: He currently serves as Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore.
• Rep. Rick Gundrum (R-Slinger)
• Rep. Scott Allen (R-Waukesha)
• Rep. Robyn Vining (D-Wauwatosa)
• She is running for the state Senate district currently represented by Sen. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield).
• Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon)
• She is running for the state Senate district currently represented by Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green).
• Rep. Francesca Hong (D-Madison)
• She is currently running for Governor.

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.