La Crosse, Eau Claire voters approve citizen healthcare task forces
Voters in La Crosse and Eau Claire, Wisconsin approved Nov. 3 ballot measures creating seven-member citizen advisory healthcare action committees, with La Crosse passing 67%-33% and Eau Claire 55%-45%. The committees, created through direct legislation petitions backed by thousands of signatures, will study local healthcare costs and access, including insurance premiums and small-business coverage, and issue reports every two years with recommendations for city, state and federal action. Organizers, including Main Street Alliance and the Committee to Protect Health Care, said the campaign grew from frustration over rising marketplace premiums after enhanced federal subsidies expired, and over Medicaid cuts in the 2025 federal tax and spending law set to begin in 2027.