The Assembly today passed bill that would allow Wisconsinites to contract directly with primary care physicians.

But an amendment that removed protections against discrimination drew criticism on the Assembly floor.

Rep. Joe Sanfelippo introduced the change today that eliminated lines of the bill which banned a health care provider from discrimination on the basis of age, gender or gender identity, citizenship status and color, among others.

The New Berlin Republican said he heard from physicians late Friday who expressed concern that the nondiscrimination language would only target direct primary care physicians and no other doctors in the state.

But Rep. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, criticized Sanfelippo for the amendment leaving out protections based on sex or sexual orientation.

“You are going to have nondiscrimination language. You’re just going to leave gay people out of it.”

Sanfelippo said currently there is no nondiscrimination language among doctors. He said he’d support adding non-discrimination clauses for doctors but that any discussion on that language would be “a separate topic.”

The amendment and full bill passed the Assembly 61-36 along party lines.

See the bill:
https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2019/related/proposals/ab26/1/_22

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