The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin

03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 16:07

Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Celebrates Two New Laws to Support Women's Health During Women's History Month

Press Release: Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Celebrates Two New Laws to Support Women's Health During Women's History Month

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 03/19/2026 04:00 PM CDT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 19, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Gov. Evers Delivers Radio Address, Celebrates Two New Laws to Support Women's Health During Women's History Month
Governor signed into law legislation to expand postpartum coverage for moms to 12 months, support access to additional breast cancer screenings for at-risk women
Audio File of Radio Address.

MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers today delivered his weekly radio address celebrating two new laws he signed into law this week to support women's health and expand access to healthcare during Women's History Month.

Earlier this week, Gov. Evers signed into law Senate Bill (SB) 23, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 102, delivering on a key promise he made to Wisconsin moms as governor to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage for thousands of new moms, babies, and families across Wisconsin from 60 days to one year. Since Day One, Gov. Evers has been a relentless advocate for expanding access to quality, affordable healthcare and improving maternal and infant health outcomes in Wisconsin. Gov. Evers has made expanding postpartum coverage to one year a cornerstone of his "Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies" initiative, which he's spent seven years working to pass, including the proposal in each of his four budgets as governor and even going so far as to repeatedly and directly implore lawmakers in many of his major addresses over eight years as governor to do so. The governor renewed his call for lawmakers to expand postpartum coverage once again earlier this year in a letterto members of the Wisconsin State Legislature outlining his top legislative priorities for 2026. The governor is proud to have finally gotten this important priority across the finish line for moms across Wisconsin.

Additionally, today, Gov. Evers signed into law "Gail's Law," Senate Bill 264, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 103, requiring health insurance policies, including BadgerCare, to fully cover medically necessary supplemental breast screenings or diagnostic breast examinations for those with dense breastsor who are at an increased risk of breast cancer. Gov. Evers signed the bill in honor of Gail Zeamer, a Wisconsinite who tragically passed away in 2024 after a late-stage diagnosis caused by undetected cancer in dense breast tissue. The governor signed "Gail's Law" at the Wisconsin State Capitol today, surrounded by Gail's husband, Steve, as well as Gail's daughters, Sophie and Claudia, among others.

A transcript of the governor's radio address is available below.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here.

Every March during Women's History Month, we have the opportunity to celebrate all Wisconsin women and recognize the incredible strides women have made throughout our state's and our country's history.

And while I'm jazzed to celebrate our many efforts over the years to build a Wisconsin that works for everyone, there's plenty more work to do.

So, this week, I was proud to sign into law two important bills to support women's health and address maternal health outcomes in Wisconsin.

The first is Senate Bill 23, which expands postpartum Medicaid coverage for thousands of new moms from 60 days to one year.

Folks, ask around, any mom will tell you that postpartum recovery takes a heck of a lot longer than 60 days.

That's why expanding postpartum coverage was one of the very first things I proposed in my first biennial budget in 2019 as part of our "Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies" initiative.

For years, getting this bill over the finish line was blocked by one legislator, leaving just Wisconsin and Arkansas as the only two states in the nation that couldn't get this done.

But after years of advocacy and hard work, Wisconsin is leaving Arkansas in the dust and ensuring Wisconsin moms get the care they need when they need it.

And that's not all! I also signed into law Gail's Law, which ensures that when additional screenings are needed to assess an individual's risk of breast cancer, no patient is left behind.

Gail Zeamer was a wife and mother, friend and neighbor, and hers is a story shared by countless women across this state each and every day. The system failed her.

By making these changes, we're ensuring no woman slips through the cracks because they weren't able to afford additionaltests not covered by insurance.

Now more than ever, we should be working to make healthcare more affordable and more accessible, not making it more expensive and harder for folks to get the care they need.

Thank you, and take care.

An online version of this release is available here.
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Office of the Governor • 115 East Capitol, Madison, WI 53702
Press Office Email: [email protected]
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The Office of the Governor of the State of Wisconsin published this content on March 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 19, 2026 at 22:07 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]