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Bills from the 2009–10 session

Senate Bill 502

Exempting wellness programs from unfair trade or marketing practices

Topics: Insurance, Trade practice

Stopped before the full Senate voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 29, 2010

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, an insurer may not engage in any of the following unfair trade or marketing practices: inducing a person to enter into an insurance contract by offering benefits not specified in the policy; making an agreement of insurance that is not clearly expressed in the policy; unfairly discriminating among insureds by charging different premiums or by offering different terms of coverage except on the basis of classifications related to the nature and degree of risk covered or the expenses involved; attempting to influence an employer to refuse employment of an individual or discharge an employee; or committing any unfair trade practice that the commissioner defines by rule.

This bill allows an insurer to advertise, market, offer, or operate a wellness program without violating an unfair trade or marketing practice. A wellness program is designed to promote health or prevent disease by offering a reward to insured individuals. If a wellness program contains no conditions for obtaining a reward based on an individual satisfying a standard that is related to a health factor, the wellness program is exempt from unfair trade or marketing practice laws if participation in the program is available to all similarly situated individuals.

Read the full summary

Alternately, a wellness program that is based on an individual satisfying a standard that is related to a health factor is exempt from unfair trade or marketing practice laws if it has all of the following qualities: the reward does not exceed 20 percent of the cost of the coverage under the plan; the program is reasonably designed to promote health or prevent disease; all eligible individuals have the opportunity to qualify for the reward at least once per year; and the reward is available to all similarly situated individuals.

Who's behind it

8 senators are its ⁠. 4 are Democrats and 4 are Republicans.

20 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 28 names

Authors (8)

Signed on in support (20)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Senate Committee on Health vote to recommend it

Passed, 7 to 0 · Mar 3, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue, Ayes 7, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Apr 28, 2010

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 8, 2010

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  3. Mar 3, 2010

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 7 to 0.

  4. Feb 24, 2010

    The committee held a public hearing.

  5. Jan 29, 2010

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue.

  6. Jan 29, 2010

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 29, 2010 · Senate

    Introduced by Senators Sullivan, Darling, Taylor, Schultz, Lazich, Wirch, Cowles and Hansen;Cosponsored by Representatives Zigmunt, Kaufert, Nygren, Vos, Shilling, Molepske Jr., Vruwink, Sinicki, Jorgensen, Turner, Roys, Benedict, Pasch, Montgomery, Cullen, Barca, Soletski, Ripp, Van Roy and Zepnick

  2. Jan 29, 2010 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue

  3. Feb 24, 2010 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  4. Mar 3, 2010 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  5. Mar 3, 2010 · Senate

    Report passage recommended by committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue, Ayes 7, Noes 0

  6. Mar 3, 2010 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  7. Mar 8, 2010 · Senate

    Fiscal estimate received

  8. Apr 14, 2010 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 4-15-2010 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  9. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Read a second time

  10. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Laid on the table

  11. Apr 28, 2010 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary