Senate Bill 70
Coverage of dependents under health care plans
Topics: Insurance: Health, Insurance: Policy, National Guard, Parochial and private educational institutions, Public employee: Group insurance, Technical college, University of Wisconsin: Student life
Stopped in committee
It had a but no committee vote, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Feb 18, 2009
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. It had a hearing but no committee vote.
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Senate vote, not reached
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 28, 2010: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It sat with the Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
Current law contains a number of provisions related to coverage of dependents under health insurance policies. For example, a health insurer must cover a newly born child of an insured from the moment of birth, but may discontinue coverage after 60 days if the insured does not notify the insurer of the birth and pay any additional premium within those 60 days. If a health insurer covers a child of an insured, the health insurer must also cover any child of the insured's child until the insured's child is 18 years old. If a health insurer covers dependents up to a certain age, the health insurer may not terminate coverage of a dependent child who reaches that age if, and while, the child is incapable of self-sustaining employment because of mental retardation or physical handicap and is dependent on the insured for support and maintenance. If a health insurer covers a person as a dependent because the person is a full-time student, the health insurer must continue to cover that person if he or she ceases to be a full-time student due to a medically necessary leave of absence until the happening of one of a number of specified events, such as the person's obtaining other health care coverage or reaching the age at which coverage ends under the terms of the policy for a dependent who is covered because he or she is a full-time student. Current law, however, does not require a health insurer to cover a dependent of an insured up to any particular age or because a dependent is a full-time student.
Under this bill, a health insurer must offer to cover any child of an insured if the child is unmarried, is under 27 years old, and is not eligible for coverage under a group health benefit plan that is provided by his or her employer and for which his or her premium contribution is no greater than the premium amount for his or her dependent coverage under his or her parent's health insurance plan. Additionally, if the child is a full-time student but previously had his or her education interrupted by service in the national guard or reserves, the health insurer must offer dependent coverage for that child for as long as he or she is a full-time student, regardless of age.
Read the full summary Show less
The insurer must provide the coverage if the insured requests it, and may require that the insured provide annual written documentation that the dependent child satisfies the criteria for coverage. The bill specifies that an insurer must determine the premium for coverage of a dependent who is over 18 years of age on the same basis as the premium is determined for a younger dependent. The coverage requirement applies to all types of individual and group health insurance policies and plans, including those offered by the state, and to self-insured health plans of counties, cities, villages, towns, school districts, and the state.
The bill does not eliminate any of the other requirements that exist in current law related to coverage of dependents.
Who's behind it
10 senators are its . All 10 are Democrats.
9 more lawmakers .
See all 19 names Hide the names
Authors (10)
- Tim Carpenter · Democrat, Senate
- Spencer Coggs · Democrat, Senate
- Jon Erpenbach · Democrat, Senate
- Dave Hansen · Democrat, Senate
- John Lehman · Democrat, Senate
- Mark Miller · Democrat, Senate
- Judy Robson · Democrat, Senate
- Lena Taylor · Democrat, Senate
- Kathleen Vinehout · Democrat, Senate
- Bob Wirch · Democrat, Senate
Signed on in support (9)
- Terese Berceau · Democrat, Assembly
- Fred Clark · Democrat, Assembly
- Ann Hraychuck · Democrat, Assembly
- Sandy Pasch · Democrat, Assembly
- Sondy Pope · Democrat, Assembly
- Jon Richards · Democrat, Assembly
- Donna Seidel · Democrat, Assembly
- Jeff Smith · Democrat, Senate
- Leon Young · Democrat, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 28, 2010
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Jan 5, 2010
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Apr 22, 2009
The committee held a public hearing.
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Mar 13, 2009
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 18, 2009
Sent to the Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue.
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Feb 18, 2009
Introduced in the Senate.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 18, 2009 · Senate
Introduced by Senators Vinehout, Erpenbach, Robson, Lehman, Carpenter, Wirch, Taylor, Coggs, Hansen and Miller;Cosponsored by Representatives Smith, Hraychuck, Pope-Roberts, Richards, Young, Seidel, Clark, Berceau and Pasch
- Feb 18, 2009 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue
- Mar 13, 2009 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- Apr 22, 2009 · Senate
Public hearing held
- Jan 5, 2010 · Senate
Fiscal estimate received
- 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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
Signed on in support
Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.
Official term: Cosponsor
Cost estimate
A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.
Official term: Fiscal estimate