Contact: Sen. André Jacque
January 10, 2019 (608) 266-3512
(Madison, WI) State Senator André Jacque (R – De Pere) was joined by State Sen. Lena Taylor (D – Milwaukee), lead Assembly author State Representative Kevin Petersen (R – Waupaca) and more than 60 legislative co- sponsors today in the bi-partisan introduction of the Pre-Existing Condition Guaranteed Coverage Act.
“One of the most important things we can do as a legislature is to help safeguard the well-being of our constituents. I am proud of our bill’s strong protections and bi-partisan leadership for guaranteeing health insurance companies cannot deny someone a policy on the basis of their pre-existing conditions, exclude coverage for treatment of their health conditions, or charge higher premiums on the basis of their medical history,” Senator Jacque said, adding, “This legislation will ensure that no matter what happens at the national level, here in Wisconsin our residents won’t be denied access to life-saving treatment or necessary healthcare just because of challenges they’ve already faced.”
Cathy Mahaffey, CEO of Common Ground Healthcare Cooperative, praised the bill, saying, “Wisconsin should not go backwards when it comes to protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions. Instead, let’s put these protections in state law and use that as a starting point toward a comprehensive Wisconsin solution that provides stable, high quality and more affordable health coverage for everyone.”
According to a national state-by-state analysis from the non-profit Commonwealth Fund, passage of the legislation would enshrine pre-existing condition protections into Wisconsin law in a way that would make our state one of only five in the country and the only one in the Midwest to ensure that all three elements of pre- existing condition protections would remain in place for state residents regardless of changes at the national level:
https://www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2018/lawsuit-ACA-preexisting-condition-protections-where-you-live
“Wisconsin is a leader in healthcare quality and passing these strong protections will further aid our efforts as a leader in access in the Midwest and nationwide. As a bi-partisan team, we’re making a promise to Wisconsin citizens that their health insurance isn’t going anywhere and we hope our colleagues will join us in support of this important legislation,” concluded Jacque.
Sen. André Jacque represents Northeast Wisconsin’s First Senate District, consisting of Door and Kewaunee Counties and portions of Brown, Calumet, Manitowoc, and Outagamie counties.
