Wisconsin
Wisconsin bill proposes $35 insulin caps as prices surge
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.
- Showers will be most likely for areas along and south of the I-94 corridor
- Dry and pleasant conditions for Monday and Tuesday
- Showers and thunderstorms will return Tuesday night and into the day Wednesday
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – We are starting the day with some sunshine, but high-level clouds will continue to move in out ahead of a weather system to the southwest. This area of low pressure will move eastward across Illinois and Indiana today, bringing an increase in cloud cover as well as the chance for rain in southern Wisconsin. There is still some uncertainty with exactly how far north the rain will extend, but there is a higher confidence in the presence and coverage of showers along and south of the I-94 corridor this afternoon and evening. Activity will likely be much more hit-or-miss in areas farther north, with some spots potentially not seeing any rain at all.
The cloud cover and rain combined will work to limit temperatures today, with highs only ranging from the upper 60s (in southern Wisconsin) to the low 70s (further north where the sun may linger longer, and it will be drier). We are not expecting a heavy rain, nor are we expecting storms. In areas closer to the state line, rainfall accumulations may be around a half inch. Tonight, rain will end as the system moves east.
What’s Coming Up…
Monday will be dry and pleasant with highs into the mid-70s and some sunshine. This trend continues Tuesday, with highs in the upper 70s. Rain and thunderstorms are then likely to return Tuesday night and Wednesday, with a chance for some stronger storms Wednesday afternoon. Additional showers may linger into Thursday.
Looking Ahead…
Friday looks mostly dry before more chances for showers and thunderstorms return next weekend as temperatures warm up a bit closer to normal for this time of the year.
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MILWAUKEE (WLUK) — Four Northeast Wisconsin garage bands took to the Aurora Pavilion Stage at Summerfest Friday in hopes of winning the 2026 edition of ‘Rockonsin.’
The bands include:
- “Mania” composed of students from East De Pere High School
- “The Danios” composed of students from Mayville High School
- “The Doorknobs” composed of students from Sheboygan North High School and Étude High School
- “Krusher” composed of students from Campbellsport High School
The local bands and six others were the finalists selected from 54 middle and high schools across across Wisconsin for the 2026 contest.
All of them performed 20 minute showcases for an audience, including a trio of music industry panel judges. The bands were judged on technique, rhythm and vocals, primary beats, and synergy among other aspects.
Rockonsin announced “Krusher” won the grand prize Saturday night. Winning the contest nets the band a 12 hour recording session at Blast House Studios in Madison. The runner up band is “Candy Cigarette” from Oconomowoc High School, which wins a shorter 8 hour recording session at Blast House Studios.
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The contest is in its 22nd year.
LAKE MILLS, Wis. (WFRV) – The City of Lake Mills Police Department alerted the public that they are looking for a missing endangered person early Saturday morning.
Police say that 24-year-old Alfred, “Al,” Pellatt of Lake Mills was last seen at approximately 2:45 a.m. on Friday, June 19. It was detailed that Pellatt left a bar in the 100 block of N. Main Street in Lake Mills heading north on foot. At around 2:43 a.m., Pellatt was viewed on foot in the 500 block of N. Main Street.
It was noted that Pellatt has special needs and is on medication, but does not have it with him.
Police describe Pellatt as a 6’0″ white male, weighing 215 pounds. He was last seen wearing a floral dress.
Lake Mills is located west of Milwaukee in Jefferson County.
Any information pertaining to Pellatt’s whereabouts should be shared with the City of Lake Mills Police Department.
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