On January 6, 2025, 36 freshman Wisconsin lawmakers were sworn into office following the November elections. They joined 96 returning lawmakers to make up 99-member state Assembly and the 33-member state Senate.
With freshman making up a quarter of the new legislature, employers who are part of Advancing Free Market Healthcare have a great opportunity to establish new relationships with lawmakers who might agree with our free market approach to healthcare.
This was the first election that was held after electoral maps were redrawn. Republicans held on to their majority in both chambers, albeit by narrower margins. Senate Republicans control the upper house by an 18-15 margin, while Assembly Republicans enjoy a 54-49 majority in the lower house. As the new maps carry forward however, there is a real possibility that one of the houses could flip to Democratic control after the 2026 elections, when the Governor is also up for election.
Senator Mary Felzkowski, who championed healthcare price transparency last session, has been named Senate President, expanding her influence. Senator Romaine Quinn, who represents the Northernmost counties of Northwest Wisconsin, has been named Chair of the Senate Insurance Committee. Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara from the Appleton region retained her Chairmanship of the Senate Health Committee. Senator Devin LeMahieu from the Sheboygan area remains Senate Majority Leader.
In the state Assembly, Representative Robin Vos (Burlington) remains Speaker, while Representatives Clint Moses (Menomonie) and Barbara Dittrich (Oconomowoc) continue to Chair the Assembly Health and Insurance committees respectively.
2025 promises to be a big year for healthcare policy. Republicans are working on a healthcare reform package which is reported to include both hospital and insurance price transparency requirements. We also expect to see anti-free market, anti-employer ideas that were proposed in the past couple of sessions come back. This potentially includes a ban on white bagging, limits on mail order price discounts, and legislation that would allow healthcare providers to undermine plan designs.
Join Advancing Free Market Healthcare if you want updates on all that is happening in the legislature this session.