One day after delivering his State of the State address, Governor Tony Evers stopped in Wausau to host a roundtable discussion on women’s health issues.
That included discussion about a bill to extend Medicaid benefits to new mothers for a full year after they deliver their child. Currently, benefits end after 60 days.
“I’ve never delivered a baby, I’m not an expert,” Evers said with a laugh. “But I do hear from women that 60 days is not enough. There is lots of healing, mentally and otherwise, that has to go on. People need to have the services available to them.”
Evers was joined by Mayor Katie Rosenberg and Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson for the event. Johnson said as a mother of three children, she knows you need time after giving birth to make decisions.
“At 60 days I was not ready to find health insurance for myself. I wouldn’t expect any other woman to be able to do that. It is critically important that they have seamless healthcare through their postpartum period.”
Evers says the bill, which was authored by two Republicans, should reach his desk before the end of the current legislative term.
