Milwaukee Has State’s Highest Insurance Premiums

A new report says the Milwaukee area has the most expensive health insurance premiums in the state, while Madison remains the cheapest.

Citizen Action of Wisconsin prepared the report. State Rep. Jon Richards of Milwaukee says seeing his city claim the top spot should have the whole state concerned, “When the state’s economic power house has a high healthcare cost in the state that inevitably is going to be a drag on our economy. And it’s something we’re going to have to address.”

Healthcare reform advocates, including Richards, say the federal affordable healthcare act will help bring down the cost of insurance.

Robert Kraig is the executive director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin. He says the report finds Madison has the least expensive healthcare insurance coverage, but the highest rate of inflation. Prices grew by 8 percent from a year ago, “We don’t know whether it’s a one year spike, its double the state average so it’s a lot, or whether there’s something going on in Madison.”

Along with Milwaukee, the metro areas with the most expensive health insurance premiums include Eau Claire and La Crosse. The second and third lowest premiums are found in Janesville and Beloit. The Citizen Action of Wisconsin report is found online. The study didn’t include data from the small group or individual markets.