Quarterly News from the WI Cancer Council Policy Committee
| May 2019
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EDITOR'S NOTE
All About the Budget
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Gov. Tony Evers' two-year, $83 billion budget proposal, announced Feb. 28, contained significant health-related policy changes. These changes include an expansion of Medicaid coverage, legalization of medical marijuana, and taxes on e-cigarettes.
The WI Cancer Council's Policy Committee met May 15 to discuss the latest state budget news, as well as other legislative proposals affecting cancer control and prevention.
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Gov's Medicaid Expansion Struck from Budget
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The state Legislature's Joint Finance Committee voted May 9 to remove the Governor's proposed Medicaid expansion from the 2019-2021 state budget.
Currently, Medicaid covers adults with incomes up to 100% of the federal poverty level. Gov. Evers' plan would have expanded Medicaid eligibility to more than 80,000 adults with incomes between 100-138% of the federal poverty level. The expansion was forecasted to generate $324 million in savings to Wisconsin's BadgerCare Medicaid program.
Gov. Evers had proposed that a portion of those savings be used to permanently eliminate waitlists for the Children's Long-Term Support Waiver Program, and increase wages for direct care staff. The funds also would have supported lead abatement and efforts to increase the number of dental providers across the state.
Gov. Evers also proposed eliminating existing monthly premiums, work requirements, co-pays, and health risk assessments for childless adults covered by Medicaid. The Joint Finance Committee rejected these proposed changes, as well.
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Medical Marijuana Removed from Budget
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In addition, the Governor's plan would have eliminated civil and criminal penalties for possession of up to 25 grams of marijuana. The Wisconsin Policy Forum assessed how the Governor's proposal compared to other marijuana laws across the nation. If Evers' plan had passed, Wisconsin would have joined 33 other states that offer legal access to medical marijuana, as well as 13 other states that have decriminalized small amounts of the drug without fully legalizing it.
Evers' proposal would have established a registry program for patients who wanted to obtain marijuana for medical purposes. The registry would have required that patients provide information about themselves, their medical provider, and their condition; submit to a background check; and pay an application fee of at least $100.
Wisconsin currently prohibits the possession or use of marijuana, but does permit the sale and use of non-intoxicating cannabidiol oil in the treatment of some seizure disorders. Presently a
first-time conviction for marijuana possession includes a fine up to $1,000 and up to six months jail time. Under state law, towns and cities may set separate possession penalties.
Key lawmakers objected to the decriminalization of the drug, but some remain open to debating legalizing medical marijuana later in the legislative session.
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Legislature Looks at E-Cigarettes & Tobacco
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The Governor's budget calls for a 71% tax on vapor products, and defines vapor products as any noncombustible product that can be used to produce vapor from a substance, regardless of shape, size, or nicotine content. The proposal would add vapor products to the definition of tobacco products under current law.
Evers requested $6.6 million over two years for Youth Tobacco Programs to support youth prevention efforts in schools, initiatives to reduce the use of smokeless tobacco, and retailer compliance checks. Half of the funds to support this effort would have come from the projected savings from the Governor's proposed Medicaid expansion, struck down by the Joint Finance Committee earlier this month.
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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
>>
Step therapy
legislation has been advancing through the state Assembly and Senate this spring, with a likely floor vote in June.
The legislation would simplify the appeals process for patients when insurance companies deny coverage for doctor-prescribed therapies until less expensive therapies are tried first. The bills (SB 26 and AB 24) would apply to cancer patients and other Wisconsinites undergoing treatment for a host of chronic diseases. You can read more about efforts to address step therapy in the Feb. 2019 Policy Roundup.
>> A bill to create a state Palliative Care Council within the Department of Health Services has been introduced in the Wisconsin State Senate.
If approved,
Senate Bill 225
would create a panel of experts to study the state's palliative care landscape and recommend ways to improve and expand access to palliative care throughout Wisconsin. Learn more about palliative care in WI by reading the
Palliative Care Issue Brief
from the WI Cancer Council.
>> The Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project
plans to update its report,
The Burden of Excessive Alcohol Use in Wisconsin
, with new data this fall. The report, which was most recently released in 2012, explains the full range of alcohol-related costs to Wisconsin's taxpayers and residents. The report estimated that excessive drinking resulted in approximately 1,529 deaths, and the economic costs amounted to $6.8 billion.
>> The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
released a new report
investigating the effects of short-term health plans on cancer patients. The report examined short-term health plans in Wisconsin and five other states.
Researchers found that a hypothetical 57-year-old female diagnosed with breast cancer would have paid more than $40,000 in out-of-pocket costs over the course of 12 months, under a short-term health plan. In comparison, the same patient with a plan on the ACA marketplace would have paid $7,900, thanks to the
ACA's out-of-pocket limits
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 Don't forget!
Join us for a statewide Feedback Session to
create the
WI Cancer Plan 2020-2030.
June 20, 2019
Wisconsin Dells
Learn more & register:
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In early May, the Joint Finance Committee 
