WMC:

Wisconsin’s health care costs remain the fifth highest in the country, and 88% of survey respondents predict their costs will increase even more this year. Of these, the majority say these increases will necessitate increasing employee contributions.

“Wisconsin’s business community has serious concerns about extreme health care costs,” stated WMC’s Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley. “These costs are not only a competitive disadvantage, as they dip into employee compensation, investment opportunities, and more, but they also hurt Wisconsin families.”

According to the survey, the cost of health care is tied with the labor shortage/lack of qualified applicants as the top issue facing Wisconsin employers in 2025. When asked what the one thing state government could do to help businesses, 41% of respondents answered, “make health care more affordable.” 

As noted in An Arm & A Leg, WMC Foundation’s latest research report, Wisconsin also has the second highest medical payments for workers compensation.

“There are simple policy solutions to help make health care more affordable,” Manley continued. “The majority of the business leaders we surveyed expressed that they would like to see fee schedules for the Workers Compensation program and legislation to require health care costs and quality to be transparent and accessible.”