APPLETON, Wis. — Wisconsin could be the 30th state with insulin price caps. State lawmakers are considering a bill that would limit the amount insurance companies can charge for insulin.

One in eleven Wisconsinites lives with this disease, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Insulin is a life-saving medication for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes means a person’s body has completely stopped making insulin. Those who have Type 2 diabetes have bodies that produce insulin, but the cells don’t respond to insulin the way they should.

Julia Flaherty has Type 1 diabetes, so she needs daily insulin injections to live. Flaherty said even with using her health insurance and insulin co-pay cards, insulin prices are astronomical.

“I usually pay close to $200 each time I need to refill both of my insulin,” Flaherty said.

Flaherty has lived with Type 1 diabetes since 2004 and is now a diabetes advocate. She said to offset insulin costs, some diabetics are forced to make risky health decisions.

“They’re taking less than they should because they can’t afford the amount that they should be filling at the pharmacy counter, and when you’re rationing your insulin, it can lead to severe complications, like diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be life-threatening,” Flaherty said.

In 1923, Sir Frederick Banting sold his insulin patent for a symbolic dollar to the University of Toronto. Banting believed it was unethical to profit from his life-saving invention.

Nowadays, insulin can cost over $300. Flaherty said this price surge for a life-saving medication is deeply troubling.

“When I’m paying those high prices at the pharmacy counter, I often think about that and wish that my prices were lower because then I could focus less on the costs,” Flaherty said.

That’s why lawmakers decided to do something about it.

“Twenty-nine other states in this country have some type of price cap when it comes to insulin. Wisconsin needs to be the 30th state,” state Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-La Crosse, said.

Pfaff helped introduce the bill that would cap insulin prices in Wisconsin at $35 a month. He said the fight to lower insulin costs is personal.

“My son has Type 1 diabetes. Compared to the price that we pay, versus what it costs to manufacture, process, and distribute, the manufacturer is making a tremendous amount of money here, and that is why I think it’s long overdue that Wisconsin moves forward and caps the price of insulin,” Pfaff said.

The bill would provide a stable, affordable solution for the thousands who need insulin, but Flaherty said she questions the future if this legislation stalls.

She said insulin copay cards are a temporary fix.

“There’s no guarantee that these programs will continue to exist, and when you live with this disease that requires insulin to survive, you’re anxious about when will these programs be eliminated?” Flaherty said.

Pfaff said there is bipartisan support for this bill. He said he hopes to get it through both houses of the legislature and signed by the governor this calendar year.

MILWAUKEE – U.S. Marshals are on the hunt for a Milwaukee man accused of seriously injuring his crying infant. Investigators say rather than comforting the 3-month-old, he became abusive.

Search for Anthony Schaap

What we know:

Authorities say 29-year-old Anthony Schaap didn’t act like much of a father in April 2024.

“Kind of at a loss for words with that type of cruelty,” the marshal said. “I’ll never understand it.”

Investigators say Schaap was supposed to be watching his 3-month-old girl and toddler daughter when he got abusive.

What they’re saying:

“At some point he becomes frustrated either with a crying baby or just not willing to do the things a father needs to do,” the marshal said.

Police say Schaap lied to the girls’ mother, and said the baby fell off the couch. She took the infant to the emergency room after finding bruising, and learned the injuries were much worse.

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“A doctor examines the baby, finds the skull fracture, the fractures in the tibia and other bruising on the baby’s head,” the marshal explained.

After time, police said Schaap confessed and admitted to hurting the child.

“Eventually he explains he has anger management problems,” the investigator said. “He’s frustrated and that he threw the baby at some point.”

Now on the run

Dig deeper:

Court records show Schaap pleaded guilty to a child abuse charge. While he was awaiting sentencing, he went on the run. The 29-year-old also has an outstanding domestic violence charge. He’s believed to be in the Milwaukee area.

“This is someone who needs to answer for what they’ve done,” the marshal said.

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Schaap stands 6’2″ tall and weighs 260 pounds. 

Call with tips

What you can do:

Anyone with information about Schaap’s whereabouts should call the U.S. Marshals Tipline at 414-297-3707. You will remain anonymous.

Wisconsin cannot gamble with sports betting. As former attorney general, I join the people of Wisconsin who have real concerns about the constitutionality of this plan.

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As the Assembly and Senate get ready to adjourn session in Madison for 2026, state legislative leaders are working behind closed doors on a deal to legalize online sports betting and give the Indigenous tribes exclusive control. 

New polling shows Wisconsinites are skeptical of the Legislature’s current plan, and for good reason. While voters aren’t uniformly opposed to online sports wagering, they strongly oppose a framework that grants exclusive control to tribal nations, limits competition, and bypasses direct voter approval. Sixty percent of likely voters oppose giving tribes a monopoly, and 86 percent believe a decision of this magnitude should be decided by the people through a constitutional amendment or referendum. (Note: Polling figures cited are from The Tarrance Group.)

Opinion: Tuxedos program needs 50 male mentors for Black boys

The legislation under consideration would create an unfair monopoly on online sports betting in Wisconsin. Rather than allowing well-known operators like FanDuel or DraftKings to compete in an open marketplace, the state would grant Native American tribes exclusive control as a way to try to circumvent the constitution. This approach stifles competition, limits consumer choice, and allows the monopoly holder to operate without meaningful oversight,  a setup that is neither fair nor economically responsible.