Milwaukee, WI, March 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wisconsin is now officially the 49th state in the nation to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to twelve months after birth in a bipartisan move that is predicted to improve maternal health outcomes. Today at Children’s Wisconsin, Governor Tony Evers signed the legislation into law as citizens of all political stripes looked on – a visible display of the coalition that helped cement this policy as a near-national standard.
The signing marks the culmination of a multi-year advocacy effort that gained traction in 2023 when a group of politically diverse Wisconsin citizens met at a civic initiative led by the Builders Movement. Their task was to find common ground on abortion and family well-being. Despite their differences, they rallied around a shared belief: supporting mothers and babies shouldn’t be partisan.
“We all want moms and babies to thrive,” said Kai Gardner Mishlove, a former Democrat turned independent who has supported both conservative and progressive causes. “Today, a proposal that ordinary citizens created in support of this shared goal has been made into law – and thousands of women will be better for it.”
Jeff Davis, a Catholic conservative from Bloomington who joined Kai at the session, said, “At the beginning, I couldn’t fathom us agreeing on anything, but we did. I was surprised that we were met with so much resistance in the Assembly, but eventually lawmakers responded to our efforts. This process has shown me that well-informed citizens have the power to move commonsense legislation forward.”
Over two years, members of the citizen coalition called committee members, engaged the press, launched social media campaigns, and relentlessly encouraged lawmakers to take action, fueled by the public’s support for the issue. During a 2024 Builders survey, 73% of Wisconsinites said they supported the extension, and according to a 2025 Marquette Law School poll, 66% of registered voters favored it.
In remarks delivered prior to the vote that sent the bill to the Governor’s desk, Representative Patrick Snyder, a Republican co-author, stated, “This is about people, not politics.” Assembly members subsequently voted 95–1 to pass the extension, which will impact roughly 5,000 women annually.
Emily Schmit, a mother from Mount Horeb, could have benefited from this extension in 2018, when her son was born prematurely. She said, “My son spent his first 60 days in the NICU, and just as we were finally able to take him home, my Medicaid coverage ended. Having a full year of coverage would have enabled me to continue seeing my doctor, accessing medications, and accessing mental health professionals to process my traumatic birth experience. I’m grateful Wisconsin moms will now have the extended support that I needed.”
Wisconsin’s action leaves Arkansas as the only state that cuts off coverage 60 days after childbirth.
The Builders Movement has also run civic projects in Tennessee, where citizens supported the passage of a bipartisan policy related to firearms safety education, and in Texas on healthcare, with plans to scale the model. Additionally, the establishment of a 501(c)(4), Builders Bloc, to more forcefully advance citizen-led policy solutions was announced last month.
To learn more, visit buildersmovement.org.
About Builders Movement
At the Builders Movement, we believe the real divide isn’t left versus right. It’s solving problems versus fueling division. We’re a cross-partisan non-profit movement working to overcome “us vs. them” thinking and solve problems together. We help people build the mindset, skills, and relationships needed to become Builders—citizens equipped to create real, lasting solutions that reflect the will of the broad majority. Working across media, civics, and education, our goal is clear: leadership that’s accountable to the people, and a country where problem-solving—not one “side”—wins.
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Tori Larned
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- WI Builders pose with Governor Evers at Medicaid Extension Bill Signing (Photo by Lindsay Stayton)