Wisconsin GOP Assembly leader again refuses to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage

Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) closed out the body’s legislative session three weeks early without holding a vote on extending postpartum Medicaid coverage.

In September, the Wisconsin state Senate passed Senate Bill 110, which would extend Medicaid coverage for mothers up to a year after giving birth. Despite the bill receiving bipartisan support and passing the Senate on a 31-1 margin, the life-saving legislation did not receive a vote in the Assembly as it concluded its session.

According to a story from Wisconsin Watch, the Badger State is one of four in the United States that doesn’t have a plan to enact a full year of coverage for mothers. Current law only gives women coverage for 60 days. During a Q&A last June, Vos defended his opposition to the bill by saying the government “gives out too much free stuff.”