From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Wisconsin would join 48 other states in providing 12 months of coverage to postpartum women on Medicaid after Assembly Speaker Robin Vos relented and allowed the bill to come to a floor vote.
Despite his past opposition, Vos joined the majority as the bill was approved 95-1 with Rep. Shae Sortwell, R-Two Rivers, the sole no vote.
The chamber also unanimously approved expanded breast cancer screenings after Vos had made moves that some interpreted as an effort to kill legislation that passed the Senate 32-1 earlier this session.
Both bills now head to Gov. Tony Evers.
The Senate has approved the postpartum bill 32-1 in back-to-back sessions. But it didn’t get a committee hearing or floor vote in the Assembly in the 2023-24 session as Vos dismissed it as an expansion of welfare.
Wisconsin now covers 60 days of coverage for postpartum women under Medicaid. If Evers signs the bill, only Arkansas will provide less than 12 months of coverage.
Rep. Robyn Vining, D-Wauwatosa, praised the legislation while condemning the chamber for not acting sooner. She honored Wisconsin women who lost their lives in the time before the legislation was passed.
“Wisconsin is set to be the 49th state to pass postpartum Medicaid expansion,” Vining. “And so the women who have been lost due to this Legislature’s lack of urgency deserve to be honored here today. Moving forward, when we know that policies will save lives, I hope we move forward with urgency.”
Meanwhile co-author Rep. Patrick Snyder, R-Weston, again criticized Dems’ public push to pass the bill ahead of the vote, arguing their actions put the proposal in jeopardy.
“Folks this is not about politics, it’s about people. And I know politics raises her ugly head a lot of times because we’ve got to make clicks, we’ve got to get on the news or whatever else, but this about people,” Snyder said.
The Senate also voted 32-1 to back SB 264, which would eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for supplemental screenings for women with dense breast tissue. Vos earlier this year was noncommittal about bringing the bill to the floor, and it was sent to Assembly Org rather than a standing committee. That was seen as an effort to keep the bill from coming to the floor.
The Assembly approved the legislation 96-0, sending it to Evers.
The bill has been nicknamed Gail’s Law in honor of late Wisconsinite Gail Zeamer, of Neenah, who died of cancer and had advocated for the legislation to help ensure women with dense breast tissue like herself could detect it early without facing exorbitant costs. Zeamer’s family was present in the gallery for yesterday’s vote.
See more here.
— Marshfield Medical Center was the first in Wisconsin to implant a new Medtronic heart arrhythmia device, leading to “an excellent outcome” for the recipient patient.
That’s according to Dr. Weijia Wang, the cardiologist who performed the procedure in January.
“Performing a first‑in‑state, launch‑day implant requires precision, coordination, and a team ready to rise to the moment,” she said in a release. “I’m incredibly proud of the expertise and readiness our staff demonstrated — and most importantly, we delivered an excellent outcome for our patient.”
Sanford Health, the health system that merged with Marshfield Clinic Health System last year, yesterday announced the Marshfield facility was the first in the state to implant the Medtronic OmniaSecure device. This implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, lead is used to normalize patient heart rhythms.
The health system says the new technology is less invasive, noting it’s the smallest ICD lead in the world. Because it enables the use of fewer leads, compared to the typical two or three needed, patients recover more quickly following the procedure, according to the announcement.
The OmniaSecure product was launched domestically on Jan. 8, the same day that Marshfield Clinic used the device. The center has now performed the procedure on six patients, and Wang says the first recipient is “doing excellent.”
See the release below.
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Press Releases
– Rep. Nedweski: Assembly passes Gail’s Law to expand access to life-saving breast cancer screenings
– Rep. Subeck: Statement on passage of postpartum Medicaid extension
– Sanford Health: Marshfield clinic first in Wisconsin to use new heart arrhythmia technology
