The measures passed Nov. 3 by comfortable margins: 55% to 45% in Eau Claire and 67% to 33% in La Crosse. Each city will now appoint a seven-member citizens advisory committee tasked with analyzing the state of healthcare locally and producing a report every two years.

The campaign grew out of conversations among advocates in spring 2026, according to Sam Roecker, a Madison political strategist involved in the effort. Organizers were motivated by steep Medicaid cuts scheduled to begin in 2027 under the massive tax-cut and spending law passed by Republican members of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in 2025. That law is expected to reduce Medicaid funding by almost $1 trillion over a decade.

At the same time, the expiration of enhanced subsidies for health plans sold on HealthCare.gov at the end of 2025 has sent premiums soaring for people who buy their own coverage. Congressional Republicans declined repeated attempts to extend the subsidies.

“It’s really bad,” said Shawn Phetteplace of Main Street Alliance, which represents about 400 small business owners in western Wisconsin. He said members have been distressed by the spike in marketplace insurance costs and that “a disturbing number of people” have dropped coverage entirely.

The committees’ duties, as prescribed in the ordinances tied to the ballot questions, include examining what premiums residents pay, how many small businesses offer employee health plans, and which population groups have less access to care. Their recommendations could range from advocacy directed at state and federal policymakers to direct actions the cities can take to make healthcare more accessible and affordable.

“It’s a novel approach, but I think it’s an exciting opportunity for people who are feeling directly the impact of healthcare costs skyrocketing, small business owners and people interested in seeing city government taking a bigger role,” said Nick Padesky, who worked as a full-time organizer for the campaign.

Organizers used Wisconsin’s direct legislation statute, which allows residents to introduce local ordinances themselves. They gathered more than 5,000 signatures in La Crosse and more than 8,000 in Eau Claire. Rather than leaving the matter to city councils, they specifically requested a public vote.

“We wanted the community to have a say that this was a good idea,” said William Garcia, who led organizing in La Crosse.

Garcia, who chairs the 3rd Congressional District Democratic Party, said he signed on to the task force campaign “not as a Democrat but as a citizen of La Crosse.” The campaign was officially nonpartisan, though local Democratic groups promoted the measures and the reelection bid of U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden formed a backdrop. Van Orden, a Republican, voted for the 2025 law while rejecting claims that it cut Medicaid; he lost on Election Day to Democrat Rebecca Cooke.

Organizers said they encountered no organized opposition. In Eau Claire, the local chamber of commerce issued a statement the Friday before the election raising concerns but stopping short of urging a no vote.

“Our concern is not with the goal of the proposal, but with whether the committee’s structure, authority, and resource requirements would meaningfully advance that goal,” the chamber said.

Supporters acknowledge that most healthcare policy is decided in Madison and Washington. “Everyone acknowledges that most healthcare policy is decided at the federal and state level,” Garcia said. “But that doesn’t mean local governments are completely useless in the matter.”

Padesky said the committees will be charged with analyzing local conditions and recommending strategies. “What do we need from state and federal policymakers to what direct actions can the cities of La Crosse and Eau Claire take to make healthcare more accessible and affordable with everyone in the cities,” he said.

Organizers deliberately kept the committees’ scope open-ended, Roecker said, avoiding prescribed solutions. The panels are expected to be appointed in the coming weeks.