AB 955

Generally, this bill provides certain benefits for certain health care workers,

including hazard pay, paid medical leave, state-funded testing and treatment for

those uninsured, and insurance coverage for testing and treatment. The bill also

accepts the Medicaid expansion.

Employment

The bill requires employers to provide hazard pay to certain health care

workers during a public health emergency. The bill also requires employers to

provide at least 15 days of paid medical leave for certain health care workers who

contract a communicable disease. Under the bill, an employer may request a

reimbursement from the Department of Administration for the paid medical leave

and hazard pay.

State coverage for treatment of uninsured health care workers and

insurance coverage for health care workers

The bill requires the Department of Health Services to provide state payment

for the testing and treatment for health care workers who have been diagnosed with

or are under investigation of having COVID-19 or any other communicable disease.

State coverage is available only if the individual has no other form of coverage or

funding for treatment available from insurance, a health care coverage program, or

under any grant, contract, or other contractual arrangement.

The bill requires every health insurance policy and every self-insured

governmental health plan that generally covers testing for and treatment of

infectious disease to provide coverage of testing for and treatment of COVID-19 or

any other communicable disease for a frontline health care worker who has been

diagnosed with or is under investigation of having COVID-19 or any other

communicable disease without imposing any copayment or coinsurance. A health

insurance policy is referred to in the bill as a disability insurance policy. For purposes

of required insurance coverage and for the state coverage for uninsured health care

workers, the treatment that must be covered is any treatment that is medically

necessary and reasonably related to COVID-19 or any other communicable disease

or complications from COVID-19 or other communicable disease.

Medicaid expansion

This bill accepts the Medicaid expansion by changing the family income

eligibility level to up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line for parents and

caretaker relatives under BadgerCare Plus and for childless adults currently

covered under BadgerCare Plus Core and who are incorporated into BadgerCare

Plus in this bill. BadgerCare Plus and BadgerCare Plus Core are programs under

the state's Medical Assistance program, which provides health services to

individuals who have limited financial resources. The federal Patient Protection and

Affordable Care Act allows a state to receive an enhanced federal medical assistance

percentage payment for providing benefits to certain individuals through a state's