Wisconsin

Wisconsin lawmakers renew effort to extend Medicaid coverage for new moms at risk of postpartum complications

Published

10 months ago

February 13, 2025

Wisconsin lawmakers renew effort to extend Medicaid coverage for new moms at risk of postpartum complications

Wisconsin is one of only two states that does not offer a full year of Medicaid coverage to certain low-income mothers after they give birth, a distinction that a group of GOP state lawmakers again is seeking to change, despite opposition from a key Republican leader.

Most of the state’s lawmakers have again signed on to a bill authored by Republicans that would allow low-income mothers who make more than the poverty level to stay on BadgerCare Plus, the state’s largest Medicaid program, for a full year after giving birth, instead of only two months.

The only other state that does not offer a full year of coverage is Arkansas, according to the KFF, a health policy research group.

For months after giving birth, women are still at risk for a range of life-threatening, post-pregnancy complications, including heart conditions, clotting disorders, postpartum depression and more. Statewide, a third of the 63 pregnancy-related deaths in the three years from 2020 to 2022 occurred more than two months after giving birth, said Arielle Exner, legislative director at the state’s Department of Health Services.

In addition, women with high blood pressure or other conditions who lose health coverage midway through the postpartum period could see their conditions worsen to the point they become chronic or threaten their long-term health, supporters said during a Wednesday hearing on the bill before the state Senate Committee on Health.

In the last few years, most states without a year-long coverage period for postpartum women have approved it, making it part of their Medicaid programs. In red-leaning states, Republicans promoted the extension of coverage as a central part of their pro-life agenda, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

“We as a state are unfortunately behind on this issue,” said state Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, an author of the Wisconsin bill, at Wednesday’s hearing. “We have a chance to do better for our moms, our kiddos and our families as a whole.”

In Wisconsin, similar bills have been introduced in the last two legislative sessions, only to stall in one or both chambers.

Last session, a state Senate bill to extend coverage passed by a 32-1 vote, but the bill never made it to a floor vote in the Assembly, even though a majority of the Assembly had signed onto the bill as co-sponsors.

At the time, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, opposed the bill, saying during a Q&A in 2023 “we give away too much free stuff” and that after pregnancy, women could sign up for a private health plan on the marketplaces set up through the Affordable Care Act.

“We want to encourage people to leave the public sector and enter the private marketplace as quickly as we can, not keep them on Medicaid even longer than they already are,” he said at the time.

Pregnant women whose household income is three times the poverty level or less qualify for BadgerCare Plus during pregnancy and for about two months after. Currently, only mothers who make as much as the poverty level or less qualify to stay on BadgerCare Plus beyond that second month.

Donna Rozar, a former state representative and an author of last session’s legislation to extend coverage, said new mothers shouldn’t have to worry about health coverage.

“If you have a two-month-old baby, the last thing you want to do is change insurance programs,” she said at Wednesday’s hearing on this session’s bill.

Supporters of the bill stressed that having to switch health insurance soon after birth could lead to a break in coverage when patients are between plans or to disruptions in care if patients have to switch doctors.

For women going through mental health challenges, such as postpartum depression, on top of it all, it can be even tougher.

“It is hard to access health care. It’s even harder to access mental health care,” said Kathleen Hipke, a licensed clinical psychologist who spoke at Wednesday’s hearing. “Trying to find new health care providers, navigate wait times – by the time these things happen, we’ve already exceeded the 60-day period.”

Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, has included an extension of postpartum Medicaid coverage in previous biennial budget proposals, only for Republican lawmakers writing the state budget to remove the year-long extension from consideration.

Asked at a news conference last month whether a bill to extend postpartum coverage would get a vote in the Assembly this year, Vos said he thought it “unlikely.”

“Our caucus has taken a position that expanding welfare is not a wise idea for anyone involved,” Vos said.

But many Republicans in the state Assembly and the Senate, in fact, are co-sponsors of the bill. Like in previous legislative sessions, the bill was authored by Republicans, among them Rep. Patrick Snyder, R-Weston, who was standing behind Vos when he made those comments last month.

At Wednesday’s hearing, Snyder said he hoped Wisconsin passed the legislation before Arkansas, the only other state without the extension.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Snyder said. “The bill is not partisan in my mind. … I’m into helping people, my constituents, and if we can’t get something like this done, then I don’t know what I’m doing in the Legislature.”

If the bill passes, it would mean about 5,000 more women per month would be covered by BadgerCare Plus, Exner, the DHS legislative director, said. The annual cost of implementing the extension would be about $18.5 million in state and federal funds. Of that total, about $7.3 million would come from the state, she said.

About one in three births in Wisconsin were covered by BadgerCare Plus or another Medicaid program in 2023, Exner said.

On Wednesday, longtime supporters of the legislation, including medical professionals with the Wisconsin chapter of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, reiterated that the bill would likely save lives.

Amy Domeyer-Klenske, an OB-GYN in Madison who spoke on behalf of ACOG, recounted a patient who suffered worsening high blood pressure and a life-threatening blood clot after delivery and who required blood thinners and frequent adjustments to her medication that were necessary beyond two months postpartum.

“When we see women who lose their coverage who are newly requiring these medications, we worry as physicians about what will happen to them, their risk for things like heart disease, stroke and death in the upcoming year and beyond,” she said. “We are failing to cover mothers like this across Wisconsin.”

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lutheran boys basketball pursues three-peat with revamped lineup

Published

7 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin Lutheran boys basketball pursues three-peat with revamped lineup

Wisconsin Lutheran returns to Division 1 seeking a third consecutive state championship.
The team returns its two leading scorers, senior Zavier Zens and junior Kager Knueppel.
New starters will need to fill the roles of three key graduates from last season’s title team.
Coach Ryan Walz expects Zens to become a more vocal leader and for Knueppel to develop as a three-level scorer.

Over the first couple weeks of the WIAA high school boys basketball season, the Journal Sentinel will be checking in with the Milwaukee area’s three reigning state championship teams.

Our visits began with reigning Division 3 champion Milwaukee Academy of Science, which will compete in D2 in the WIAA postseason this year. The next check-in comes with a team that knows all about repeating in a higher division, the two-time defending state champions from Wisconsin Lutheran. The Vikings won their fourth WIAA state title and second consecutive after receiving a competitive balance elevation from D2 to D1 last season. The quest for a third straight title will also be in D1, and the Vikings look up to the challenge.

Here is what to know about Wisconsin Lutheran, which improved to 4-0 with a 69-20 victory over New Berlin West on Dec. 12.

Roles to fill around returning stars Zens, Knueppel

Wisco’s two leading scorers from the 2024-25 team return, but the surrounding cast looks a bit different this season. Northern Iowa commit and 6-foot-7 senior forward Zavier Zens (22.2 points per game last season) and 6-10 junior guard Kager Knueppel (13.5 ppg) are the two returning starters, while the three graduated starters include guard Isaiah Mellock (11.1 ppg, Wisconsin Lutheran College), forward/guard Alex Greene (10.9 ppg, Concordia) and forward Ben Langebartels (2.3 ppg).

Coach Ryan Walz said he wants to see Zens become a more vocal leader this year, while adding Knueppel can round out his ability as a three-level scorer.

“I think that’s a big step for any senior to make, to get outside of yourself, to be able to be engaged with other people on the team and not just always be worried about what you’re doing, but also being concerned for your teammates and showing that kind of leadership,” Walz said of Zens.

“From our standpoint, we want to see [Kager] be an effective basketball player at the basket, in the midrange and from three-point range. That’s the next step for guys who are on the cusp of being really, really good players, and that’s what Zavier did last year,” Walz added on Knueppel.

In place of the graduates this season have been former reserve 6-foot junior guard Riley Walz (4.2 ppg last season), former reserve forward and 6-6 senior Kinston Knueppel (5.0 ppg) as well as junior 6-7 forward Jamail Sewell.

“Riley’s going to have to handle the ball and distribute it, get us into offense and really control what we do, and Kinston is that versatile piece – kind of like Alex Greene last year – where he has to find ways where he can influence the game offensively with his intelligence, his skill level, his flexibility of being able to go inside and outside,” coach Walz said. “Jamail is 6-7, almost 6-8, and obviously anybody who saw him in football pads saw this enormous man, and he moves really, really well and has great hands. He needs to catch up on some of his basketball things and his skill and his understanding of the game, but he is an enormous presence on the floor.”

The Vikings again do not lack for size and will send one of the tallest starting fives in the state to the floor night-in and night-out between Zens, Kinston Knueppel, Kager Knueppel and Sewell. Kager Knueppel said teams will also have to watch out for Riley Walz on the perimeter as they crowd the paint.

“He’s been working really hard. I like him coming into the point guard role because he does not turn the ball over and he can shoot threes really well,” Kager Knueppel said.

As they learned with a late substitution in the D1 title game in March, every player needs to be ready for their moment.

“You don’t know when your time is going to come but you have to be ready, and so as coaches it’s our job to absolutely keep pushing them and moving them forward as best that we can,” coach Walz said.

Wisconsin Lutheran not shying from expectations

Returning top players to a team coming off consecutive state titles creates expectations around the program to compete for a three-peat. Zens said the team is embracing those expectations, while relying on the experience that has led them this far.

“We all know there’s high expectations for us, but those are our expectations for ourselves as well,” Zens said.

The pressure to defend a title is nothing new for Kager Knueppel, and something he thinks the team will be prepared for on a nightly basis.

“All of our guys understand that we have a target on our back, and people will want to come after us and beat us,” Knueppel said.

Coach Walz said the tone of keeping expectations in their proper framework is set by Zens.

“He is intrinsically motivated,” Walz said. “If your best player has no letdown and is leading by example, then that just brings everybody else along.”

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Wisconsin

When does Wisconsin volleyball play again? NCAA tournament next match

Published

19 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

When does Wisconsin volleyball play again? NCAA tournament next match

Start time yet to be announced for regional finals match

AUSTIN, Texas – Wisconsin volleyball will be spending two more days in Austin.

The Badgers ensured that with a four-set win over Stanford on Dec. 12 in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals. It was the eighth consecutive win in the regional semifinals for Kelly Sheffield’s group and its first-ever win over Stanford in program history.

Here’s what to know about Wisconsin’s next match:

Who will Wisconsin volleyball play next?

Wisconsin’s next match will be against top-seeded Texas in the NCAA tournament regional finals, with the winner advancing to the Final Four.

What time is Wisconsin volleyball’s next match?

The Wisconsin-Texas match will be on Sunday, Dec. 14. A time has not yet been announced, but it will either be at 2 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. CT.

How to watch Wisconsin-Texas NCAA tournament regional finals match?

NCAA volleyball tournament bracket for regional finals

Creighton vs. Kentucky on Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. in Lexington, Kentucky
Purdue vs. Pittsburgh on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Pittsburgh
Wisconsin vs. Texas on Dec. 14 in Austin
Winner of Nebraska/Kansas vs. winner of Louisville/Texas A&M on Dec. 14 in Lincoln, Nebraska

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Wisconsin

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Published

1 day ago

December 12, 2025

Press Room

How tariffs are affecting Wisconsin’s real and artificial Christmas trees

Nearly all artificial Christmas trees in the world today are made in China. And with that comes an up to 30 percent tariff rate on imported Christmas products — including artificial trees.

Kris Reisdorf is co-president of the Racine- and Sturtevant-based home and garden store Milaeger’s. On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Reisdorf said tariffs are affecting their prices on artificial trees, but she’s mitigating most of the rate hike through negotiations with manufacturers and by taking on lower profit margins herself.

“We are doing our fair share in making Christmas affordable,” Reisdorf said. “When the average person is thinking 30 percent (tariffs), that’s not by any means what they’re really paying.”

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Milaeger’s “almost real” trees range from under $100 to well over $3,000. Reisdorff said she’s raised prices for all artificial trees by only around $20 compared to last year.

Residorf said tree sales are largely stable despite the uptick in tariff pricing.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll last year found that 58 percent of Americans were buying artificial trees instead of real ones. That’s up from 40 percent in 2010.

Greg Hann owns Hann’s Christmas Farm in Oregon. Hann also sits on the Wisconsin Christmas Tree Producers Association Board and is president-elect of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Hann told “Wisconsin Today” the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 created a surge in business for real evergreen trees and that demand has been holding relatively steady ever since. That said, Hann acknowledged real Christmas tree sales are up for him and fellow growers this year. He attributed the increase in sales to the tariffs and the fact that farmers’ supplies are finally catching up to the higher demand brought on by COVID-19. Nearly all real trees come from the United States or Canada, according to Hann.

Hann said a recent survey by the National Christmas Tree Association found 84 percent of Christmas tree growers nationwide have kept prices the same over the last two years, and that includes his own farm. Being grown locally in Wisconsin, Hann said his business is largely unaffected by tariffs.

“It’s kind of nice to have a good supply with a stable price in this economy,” he said.

Reisdorf said that some artificial tree manufacturers are moving operations outside of China to places like Cambodia. But most other countries in the east are also facing tariff threats.

Instead, Reisdorf said artificial tree importers are lobbying President Donald Trump to lower his 30 percent tariffs on Christmas products like trees and ornaments, because those kinds of goods aren’t coming back to be made in the U.S.

Meanwhile, Hann said his organization is lobbying to have tariffs on artificial trees increased to 300 percent. He said the added tariff costs help create an “even playing field” between real and artificial trees, since farmers have to pay farm staff and cover fertilizer costs.

But it isn’t always about the cost. Reisdorf said artificial trees have the benefit of lasting “forever,” essentially.

Hann said many of his customers come to the farm looking to keep up the Christmas tradition of picking out their own family tree.

“They’re looking for that fragrance of a real tree,” he said. “They want to start that tradition of the family together. They pick the tree, they take it into their house.”

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