My Health Matters to Me

My Health Matters to Me!

Every day, policy decisions are made that impact your ability to reach your optimal health and well-being.

In just 3 easy steps, you can make your vote count and elect leaders who understand and value what matters to you!

Quick Links:

Step 1: ASK!

You deserve to know the views of the candidates running for office who want to represent you. Don't be afraid to ASK and find out if they believe in what you believe in. ASK to find out if what matters to you, matters to them!

Step 2: LEARN!

There's an easy way to see how your elected leaders have voted on issues that impact women and their families. LEARN who has represented you and LEARN how they've voted on your behalf.

Find out who currently represents you (the incumbent candidate)
Find out which bills were introduced and voted on recently
Find out how they voted and which bills they supported

Step 3: VOTE!

Once you're informed and inspired to make a difference, mark you calendars and plan to VOTE next year.

Key Questions to Ask Related to Your Health

ISSUE: Medicaid Expansion
In the last state budget, the Governor and legislature decided against accepting federal funding under the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) to expand the state Medicaid program (BadgerCare) to cover all adults who earn 138% or less of the federal poverty line. Expanding BadgerCare under the ACA would provide health care to an additional 83,000 additional Wisconsinites and save the state approximately $834 million through 2021. Despite the state’s ongoing refusal to expand BadgerCare, Wisconsin still has the ability to opt-in to Medicaid Expansion and cover more people with enhanced federal funding at any time in the future.

Key Question:
Do you support taking advantage of the federal funding to expand Medicaid and cover more people under BadgerCare?

ISSUE: Physician Patient Relationship
In recent legislative session, several laws have been passed that dictate how health care professionals can provide comprehensive reproductive health care to women who are their patients. Many of these new laws were opposed by the medical community because they interfere with the health care provider-patient relationship and are inconsistent with accepted standards of care.

Key Question:
What role do you believe the government should play in regard to the relationship a woman has with her health care provider? Do you think reproductive health care services should be singled out for increased scrutiny from the government? Why or why not?

ISSUE: Sexual Assault Victim Services (SAVS)
The funding stream for SAVS was shifted to a more stable source in recent years so that victim services providers can count on more consistent funding from the state. However, the SAVS funding amount is still is not sufficient to meet the demand for sexual assault services across Wisconsin. The CDC estimates that 1 in 5 Wisconsin women have experienced rape at some point in their lives. In 2010 alone, over 13,000 victims of sexual assault sought services at sexual assault programs in Wisconsin.

Key Question:
Do you support increased state funding for sexual assault victim services?

ISSUE: Birth Control
More than 99% of women aged 15–44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method. Birth control has played an important role in the advancement of women in the workplace by allowing them to invest in their careers and plan for their futures. In fact, research shows the pill is responsible for a third women's wages increases relative to men.

Key Question:
Do you support policies that will increase women's access to FDA approved contraceptives, including emergency contraception?

ISSUE: Family Planning Defunding
Two pieces of legislation were recently passed that could potentially undermine the budgets of many family planning clinics around the state of Wisconsin. The first would require the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to apply for federal Title X family planning funding. If DHS is awarded the money, they would be prevented from distributing the money to any family planning clinic that is affiliated with an organization that provides abortions, which would cut funding to 18 family planning clinics in the state. The second bill will drastically reduce the prescription drug reimbursement rate paid to some family planning clinics to unsustainable levels.

These new laws have the potential to close family planning clinics around the state of Wisconsin that serve tens-of-thousands of women and men who rely on these clinics to access preventive, reproductive health care.

Key Question:
Will you oppose further legislative attempts to undermine access to family planning clinics in Wisconsin? Will you support proactive legislation that would help make family planning services more accessible to Wisconsin women?