Insurance Archives - Wisconsin Health News

State employee health plan delays decisions on drug program, plan design

by Sean Kirkby | Feb 26, 2026 | Insurance, Pharmacy, Top Stories | 0 |

The board overseeing the state employee health plan held off on making decisions Wednesday on whether to establish a program that counts drug coupons toward members’ cost-sharing limits and whether to increase what members pay out of pocket for care.

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Milwaukee County supervisors vote to extend health insurance contract

by Sean Kirkby | Feb 6, 2026 | Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors voted Thursday to approve a five-year extension of a contract with UnitedHealthcare and OptumRx to administer the county employee health plan, after the previous contract expired at the end of last year.

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Milwaukee County health insurance contract expires

by Sean Kirkby | Feb 3, 2026 | Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is urging county supervisors to approve an extension to a contract with UnitedHealthcare that expired at the end of last year for administering health insurance coverage for county employees.

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Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire says partnership with Priority Health provides stability

by Sean Kirkby | Jan 16, 2026 | Insurance, On The Record, Top Stories | 0 |

Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire Market Leader Sarah North said partnering with Michigan-based Priority Health will provide the stability they need to weather Wisconsin’s dynamic healthcare environment.

Security Health Plan names new leader

by Sean Kirkby | Jan 7, 2026 | Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Security Health Plan has a new leader.

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Priority Health acquires Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire

by Sean Kirkby | Jan 6, 2026 | Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Priority Health, an insurer majority-owned by Corewell Health, Michigan’s largest health system, has acquired Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire.

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Most insurers report profitable first half of year

by Sean Kirkby | Nov 13, 2025 | Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Wisconsin insurers stayed mostly in the black during the first half of 2025, according to a Wisconsin Health News analysis of filings with the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance.

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Legislators seek faster turnaround on prior authorization requests

by Sean Kirkby | Nov 4, 2025 | Insurance, Legislature, Top Stories | 0 |

Bipartisan legislation would mandate shorter turnaround times for health plans to approve or deny prior authorization requests and require authorizations to last for a year, if not longer.

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Small business owners say rate hikes would make coverage unaffordable

by Sean Kirkby | Oct 28, 2025 | ACA, Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Small business owners in Milwaukee warn that health insurance could be out of reach for their workers if enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expire as planned at the end of December.

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Many Healthcare.gov consumers face fewer choices next year

by Sean Kirkby | Oct 27, 2025 | ACA, Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Many Healthcare.gov consumers in Wisconsin will have fewer choices next year, according to a map of health plans’ service areas released by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance last week.

Wisconsinites with ACA coverage face rate hikes

by Sean Kirkby | Oct 27, 2025 | ACA, Insurance, Top Stories | 0 |

Many Wisconsinites with Affordable Care Act coverage will see their premiums double next year due to the planned expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the end of December, Gov. Tony Evers’ administration said Monday.

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Lawmakers seek to limit prior authorization

by Sean Kirkby | Oct 21, 2025 | Insurance, Legislature, Top Stories | 0 |

A group of bipartisan lawmakers wants to stop insurers from requiring prior approval for rehabilitative services for a period, a move supported by providers and opposed by insurers and the state’s business lobby.

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