MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican legislative leaders said they may compromise with new Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and amend a bill that would guarantee health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions when it comes to the floor Tuesday for debate.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told Wisconsin Public Radio on Monday that Republicans may tweak the bill to assuage some of Evers’ concerns.
Democrats have blasted the bill as a publicity stunt, saying it doesn’t go nearly far enough. Evers has pushed Republicans for a host of changes, including prohibiting annual and lifetime coverage limits and providing coverage for services for mothers and newborns as well as prescription drugs.
Vos told WPR that blocking annual and lifetime limits might be a reasonable move. But he rejected Evers’ other demands, including guaranteed coverage for mothers and newborns and prescription drugs. He said he wants to keep the bill focused on pre-existing conditions.
Assembly Republicans passed a similar bill last session, but Republicans in the Senate refused to take it up before the session ended in the spring.
Wisconsin Democrats keyed on pre-existing conditions during the ensuing campaigns, ripping Republicans for joining a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act. Those federal reforms guarantee coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Republicans still retained control of the Assembly and Senate coming out of the November elections, but their first move after the 2019-21 legislative session began on Jan. 7 was to bring back the pre-existing coverage bill.
The measure would take effect only if the ACA is repealed, giving Republicans a win-win if the ACA is erased. They could boast a huge national victory while at the same time assuring the sick in Wisconsin they’ll still be covered and retaining their votes.
The bill’s prospects in the Senate look unclear. Five senators have signed on as co-sponsors, including four Republicans. Alec Zimmerman, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, said Tuesday that Senate Republicans plan to meet next week and discuss any action the Assembly takes on the measure.
