By A lot of the time, advocacy work is a slog. Trying to get the attention of legislators so you can share your issue. Trying to convince whole bodies of them that your issue is important. Pushing back against opposition and misinformation. Telling your story over and over again as you urge them to give your issue a vote. And accepting—when it happens—that it’s NOT going to happen. At least not this session. If I’ve learned anything over the years, I’ve learned two things. This work isn’t for the faint of heart. And breast cancer survivors are warriors who don’t quit.
We’ve been there with our colleagues in the Early Detection Saves Lives Coalition (EDSLC) for three sessions now, trying to get Gail’s Law to the Governor’s desk. Brave women have shown up to testify at hearings and to lobby in legislator’s offices. They’ve written letters and made phone calls telling legislators their stories of delayed diagnoses. Detailing the grueling treatments they’ve endured because a mammogram missed their cancer. Many have stepped out of their comfort zones and done interviews with media outlets. And yet, we couldn’t get a vote on the floor of the Senate or the Assembly.
SLOG SLOG SLOG. But on October 14, we were riding high! I looked to my right in the Senate Gallery as a roll call vote was finally being taken on Gail’s Law. Gail Zeamer’s husband Steve and their daughter Sophie leaned forward together towards the railing, looking down into the chamber. With each “yes” it all became more emotional. The vote ended 32-1. None of us expected this. We felt like we had a good shot at it passing—but 32-1? It was overwhelming to finally—FINALLY—get not just a win for Gail, but a resounding win for the women of Wisconsin.
But as Frank Sinatra sang in “That’s Life,” you can be riding high in April and shot down in May. Only it didn’t take that long. One week from that incredible show of support from the Senate, we learned that leadership in the Assembly continues to resist putting this bill on the floor for a vote.
Prior to the Senate vote, members of the EDSLC negotiated an amendment with the only insurer group to come to the table—the Alliance of Health Insurers (AHI). That amendment was part of the bill that passed in the Senate. Then, at the last minute, another insurance group showed up at the Assembly Health Committee hearing on the bill—the day following the Senate vote—and stuck a stick in our spokes. They want further, harmful, concessions made to the bill that we are not willing to make. This isn’t a game—we’re talking about women’s lives, and frankly it is unconscionable that they are so unwilling to acknowledge that. Perhaps they’re very lucky not to have lost someone they love to breast cancer. Perhaps they haven’t seen what metastatic disease looks like. Perhaps they still don’t understand that there is no cure for metastatic disease, which is why it is so important to catch it early. Whatever their reason for not doing the right thing, it’s not good enough. It’s not valid.
We know we have excellent bipartisan support for the bill in the Assembly. But that means nothing if leadership won’t allow a vote on the bill as it exists. Even if we did capitulate to what they want, the new version of the bill would have to go back to the Senate for another vote. Why would they vote on a bad version of the bill they overwhelmingly just passed?
Time is short here. The legislature adjourns in March (or earlier in some years), so they only have a few more floor sessions during which to act. It sure feels like there is a campaign afoot to stall until the bill dies—again. Hence, the stick in our spokes to stop our momentum.
To the survivors and loved ones of survivors who’ve been with us, we share the frustration you feel. WHY SHOULD THIS BE SO HARD? Over half of the country has already passed similar legislation because it is just common sense that an earlier diagnosis costs both families AND insurers far less than a late stage diagnosis. It will save everyone money and more importantly, it will save lives.
Know this, dear WBCC supporters: We are done negotiating. We have the momentum, the Senate, and the voices of Wisconsin women and their loved ones on our side. We will use them. We need to leave it all on the field. Pull out your phones. Boot up your devices. Share this information with your friends and neighbors. Call and email your representatives in the Assembly. Confirm their support and then tell them to urge leadership to do the right thing and let this bill pass or fail on its merits, without further amendments. They need to vote on SB264 and start the new year out by doing the right thing for Wisconsin women.
Watch for action alerts. And please, don’t quit.