Republican: Self-insurance likely won’t pass committee

A top Assembly Republican says Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to switch to a self-insurance model probably won’t get through the Legislature.

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke told University of Wisconsin-Madison professors during a campus forum Thursday that he hasn’t been able to find any lawmakers who are excited about the proposal. He says lawmakers are worried the plan won’t generate the $60 million in savings over the next two years Walker has promised.

The proposal is part of Walker’s state budget, which must go through the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee. Steineke says the panel likely will erase the proposal.

Under a self-insurance system, the state would contract with six health insurance companies to administer the program for about 250,000 state workers and family members instead of purchasing insurance from HMOs.