THU AM News: State’s UI Trust Fund had more than $2.1B to end 2025; Circulating bill would establish vaccine coverage requirements

February 12, 2026

— The state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund contained more than $2.1 billion at the end of 2025, well above the threshold to maintain the lowest employer tax rate schedule.

The state Department of Workforce Development yesterday issued a financial summary for the UI Trust Fund covering 2025. The fund is made up of employers’ state unemployment insurance taxes, which finance benefit payments under the program.

Wisconsin’s UI tax schedule is determined by the balance of the UI Trust Fund as of June 30 of the previous year, according to DWD. The lowest rate structure, Schedule D, has remained in effect since 2018.

For the state to move to the next lowest tax rate schedule, Schedule C, the UI Trust Fund’s balance would have to fall below $1.2 billion.

The fund’s balance has risen in recent years after it fell from $1.05 billion in December 2020 to $1.01 billion in December 2021. Since then, it’s steadily increased to $1.27 billion in 2022, $1.62 billion in 2023 and $1.86 billion in 2024.

DWD notes more than 95% of employers in the state had a UI tax rate below 4% last year, and more than half were below 2%. The agency says 57.9% of employers saw rates either decline or stay the same in 2025, while 21.5% saw an increase.

See the release and report.

— Circulating legislation would require health insurers to continue covering vaccines currently recommended by the CDC if the federal agency withdraws its recommendation, so long as they’re still backed by certain physician groups.

Sen. Dora Drake, D-Milwaukee, and Rep. Renuka Mayadev, D-Madison, this week sent a co-sponsorship memo to other lawmakers seeking support for the bill. They argue the federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, under the CDC, has “become unreliable” as it’s departed from its earlier stance on certain vaccines for children.

The agency removed six vaccines from the childhood vaccine schedule near the start of the year, and authors argue “there was no credible scientific reason” for the change. They say these decisions are being made without the guidance of established medical and scientific evidence.

“These dangerous policy changes are creating confusion, mistrust, and fear of what we know to be true,” authors wrote in the memo. “Vaccines are safe, effective, and critical to preventing serious illness and the spread of fatal disease.”

Under their legislation, health insurance policies and self-insured governmental plans that cover vaccines recommended by the CDC would have to continue providing coverage “on an equal basis” even if the agency withdraws its recommendation. But that’s only if the vaccine is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics or American Academy of Family Physicians.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health Services would also have to consider the recommendations of these physician groups when considering what to include in the vaccination schedule for Wisconsin’s immunization program.

The bill comes amid scattered measles cases being reported around the state early this year, following last year’s outbreak in Oconto County that sickened 36 people, all of which were unvaccinated. Meanwhile, the percentage of two-year-olds in the state who’ve been vaccinated against the measles has dropped from 88% in 2013 to 82% in 2022.

While the measles vaccine wasn’t among those dropped by the CDC’s advisory committee’s recommendation, authors say the number of measles cases is expected to rise due to fewer people getting the MMR vaccine, which stands for measles, mumps and rubella.

“Now, more than ever, it is important that our public health guidance provides sound evidence-based vaccine recommendations,” authors wrote.

The co-sponsorship deadline is Monday.

See the bill text.

— Rep. Nate Gustafson says failing to comply with the Trump administration’s request for the state’s food stamp rolls could have “real consequences” as he testified on a bill to require the state to do just that.

“It can lead to increased scrutiny, administrative penalties, and most importantly, delays to federal funding. Those risks ultimately fall on Wisconsin taxpayers,” Gustafson, R-Omro, said at yesterday’s Assembly Health, Aging and Long-Term Care Committee hearing.

He argued the state should provide the information because “I don’t think there’s anything really we have to hide.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in a July 23 letter asked state agencies to provide the data, which includes names, dates of birth, home addresses, Social Security numbers, benefit amounts and records used to determine eligibility. The Trump administration has said the information will be used to target fraud, waste and abuse in the program.

Dem Gov. Tony Evers has rejected the ask, expressing his confidence in the integrity of Wisconsin’s program, known as FoodShare. AB 1027 would require the state Department of Health to provide the information.

Wisconsin Grocers Association President and CEO Mike Semmann was the only person to testify on the bill. He said WGA opposes the measure and also pointed to the lawsuit working its way through the courts.

“Many times, Wisconsin’s retailers are on the front line and they’re going to be the ones who are going to be asked the questions about the program and about the concept of what’s going on with their information,” Semmann said. “And we just think that due to everything that is going on with both the potential pending litigation, but other additional questions, that right now passing this legislation at this time is just a little bit premature.”

Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, noted there is an ongoing lawsuit challenging the Trump administration directive. She also raised concerns about a lack of clarity around exactly what records would have to be provided relating to eligibility for the program and what the federal government might do with the information.

She questioned whether the records would stay with USDA, or be shared with other entities, such as the Departments of Homeland Security or Education.

“Given what’s happening in the federal government right now, this raises a number of red flags, particularly a scenario where neither our Legislative Council nor the author of the bill has been able to tell us what are the documents that are used to determine that out,” Subeck said.

— Gov. Tony Evers is urging lawmakers to support health-related elements of his legislative agenda, arguing his “Rx for Less” plan would lead to lower drug costs for Wisconsinites.

The guv’s office yesterday issued a release rallying support for the plan, which includes a number of proposals including exempting over-the-counter medications and other “basic family needs” such as diapers and menstrual products from sales tax.

Other proposals in the plan would: establish a state Office of Prescription Drug Affordability as well as a Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board; set a $35 maximum co-pay cap for one month’s supply of insulin; create a “value-based” diabetes medication pilot program; license and regulate companies in the prescription drug supply chain such as pharmacy benefit management brokers; and more.

The release also calls on lawmakers to support various proposals related to health insurance, including establishing a process for auditing insurers when their claims denial rates are too high and creating a new consumer protection office focused on insurance denials.

Evers slammed Republicans in a statement for having “gutted Medicaid to pay for tax cuts” for the wealthy and not extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, calling it “wrongheaded.”

“I hear from Wisconsinites all the time that they don’t feel like they are getting a fair shake when it comes to their healthcare coverage, and we’ve got to change that,” he said.

See the full list of proposals in the release.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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Correction: An item in last week’s Friday AM News misstated Reps. Darrin Madison and Nate Gustafson’s tenure in the Assembly. They are both in their second term.

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