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.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
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The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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