University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Hosts Governor Tony Evers

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers hosted a roundtable at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire following his state of the state address.

The roundtable focused on women’s reproductive health, a major topic in the Governor’s address on Tuesday night. The address featured calls for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to remove barriers for over-the-counter contraception for BadgerCare Plus members. A standing order through the DHS would make contraception, including emergency contraception, free for those members.

Roundtable participants included health professionals, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire students and Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson. The discussion began with the participants thanking Governor Evers and Secretary Johnson for their work in protecting and expanding reproductive health care in the state.

In addition to expanded access to contraception, the roundtable discussed a proposed bill in the Wisconsin State Legislature to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to a full 365 days after giving birth. Expansions to postpartum coverage have been repeatedly rejected in the Republican-controlled Legislature, and current coverage lasts for only 60 days.

Following the roundtable, Governor Evers took time to discuss other aspects of his state of the state address, including naming 2024 the “year of the worker.”

“The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, which is our agency that works on these issues, when they encourage companies to expand or move into the state, they talk about the importance of paying a living wage,” said Governor Evers when asked about the quality of jobs the state is looking to add. “But also making sure that it’s based upon the number of jobs they bring in.”