Governor Jim Doyle is promoting his small business insurance initiative. Announced in his State of the State address, BadgerChoice is the Doyle administration's attempt to fix a big problem — the large number of small business employees who have no health insurance.
BadgerChoice envisions a consumer-driven marketplace for nearly 800-thousand people, serving as a one-stop shop for small businesses and providing competition among insurance companies. Doyle says he hopes the insurance industry will support the plan, "that maybe they see that it really opens up opportunities for them." During the State of the State, Doyle said rising insurance costs are killing small businesses in Wisconsin, a situation that calls for ambitious action.