Democrats at the Capitol in Madison are ready to try again to add more people to the state’s healthcare system.
State Senator Joe Erpenbach and state Rep. Daniel Riemer yesterday introduced a stand-alone package to expand Medicaid in the state. The two want to offer essentially free healthcare to people who make 133 percent of the federal poverty level, or about 27 thousand-dollars for a family of four. The Republicans who control the legislature say the state cannot afford the costs. Governor Tony Evers has said a Medicaid expansion could save the state money. Democrats failed in the spring to get an expansion included in the governor’s budget.
FIRING UP TO RAISE THE SMOKING AGE:
There’s a plan on the table at the Wisconsin Capitol to raise the smoking age in the state. Democratic state Rep. Melissa Sargent has a piece of legislation that would raise the age to buy tobacco or vape products to 21-year-old. She says the idea is to make Wisconsin as safe as it can be. Eighteen states, including Illinois, have already voted to raise their smoking age to 21.
