Battleground Wisconsin

New Report: Wisconsin Health Insurance Costs Higher Due to State Actions Statewide: On a media call Thursday July 3rd, Citizen Action of Wisconsin released “Taking the Next Step: The Role of States in Restraining Health Insurance Costs” (audio here). The full report uses statistical research techniques to demonstrate a relationship between state policy choices and health insurance rates. The report is based on first year 2014 premiums rates in 34 state which are publicly available due to the Affordable Care Act. The media call was joined by Senator Minority Leader Chris Larson and Jon Peacock of Wisconsin Council on Children and Families. The report reveals that 3 state policies that Wisconsin has not pursued have a measurable impact on the cost of coverage. Accepting federal Medicaid funds for BadgerCare, requiring insurance companies to submit proposed rates for prior approval, and having an elected insurance commissioner all are associated with lower health insurance premiums. The full report can be d