Eau Claire Could See Healthcare Measure on November Ballot

A local organization is working to get a ballot measure on healthcare affordability in front of Eau Claire and La Crosse voters in November.

Organizers with Community Action of Wisconsin have collected over 8,000 signatures from Eau Claire residents as well as over 3,000 signatures from La Crosse residents for the proposal, and submitted those signatures to the respective City Clerks. Once verified, each City Council will need to vote on whether to place the measure on the November general election ballot.

If verified, approved by each City Council, and approved by voters in November, the measure would direct each city to develop a plan to address local healthcare access and affordability issues. That plan includes three components, diagnosing the current state of healthcare access and affordability, assessing how policy decisions at the local, state, and federal levels are impacting the healthcare industry, and recommendations for what future policy decisions should seek to accomplish.

Those local healthcare action plans would be developed by newly established committees made up of local citizens, elected officials, and healthcare experts. The committees would hold regular public hearings with community members and gather data to determine the best ways to address the most pressing healthcare needs in their areas. Each committee would also be required to update their plan every two years.

According to organization officials, an estimated over 300,000 Wisconsinites could see their health insurance premiums more than double, and over 50,000 Wisconsinites could lose their Medicaid coverage entirely amid recent federal policy changes. The Chippewa Valley has also faced its own healthcare crisis over recent years as restoring accessibility continues to be a major focus following the HSHS closures.